Through Alex's Eyes
by SpiritWolf126
Summary: Alex was just like any other new trainer. Except for having a Professor for a father, and growing up on the lab ranch. Now it's her chance to start her journey, and she's ready to go. She will be a top trainer, even if the journey kills her. AU GaryXOC
1. Chapter 1

**This story is more for my own appeasment than anyone elses, so If you don't like it, oh well.**

_Thoughts_

"Speaking"

_**Flashbacks**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, but I do own my OCs, so don't even think about stealing them.**

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Alex tried to keep from squirming in her seat with excitement as her father drove the jeep down the dirt road to Pallet Town. Her dad, Professor Birch, couldn't understand why she wanted to start in Kanto, and not Hoenn, but he didn't question her much. Instead, he promised to drive her to Professor Oak's lab, he needed to talk to him anyway. Glancing over at her dad, Alex felt a smile tugging at her lips. He looked so worried, but it was expected; her mother had died from getting poisoned by a Bedrill, and now her father was paranoid something would happen to her. It didn't matter though, nothing was going to stop her from this journey, not even her father.

Soon the trees disappeared, and a small town could be seen at the bottom of a hill. Pallet Town was the home to the world famous Professor Oak, a friend of her father's. Bouncing up and down, Alex tried to stifle a squeal of excitement from escaping. She was finally going to be starting her journey, and she couldn't wait. Already she could picture herself competing against the Elite Four for the title of Champion. When the jeep turned onto the long drive for the lab, Alex couldn't stop the squeal this time. Looking at his daughter, Professor Birch smiled. She was ready, he knew she was, she was too much like her mother for him to keep her locked up in the lab back at home all day. It pained him to see her leaving so soon, but she was her mother's daughter, and his wife would have been damned before she kept her child from becoming a trainer. Besides, she was ready to go, dressed in a green polo shirt, and black biker shorts and gloves. A green bandanna kept her hair from becoming windblown, and black and white running shoes provided the comfortable support she would need on her journey. Her small, white hip bag was sitting on the floor at her feet, with a black backpack in the back seat, containing her sleeping bag and other necessities.

Helen, just the thought of the woman made Professor Birch's heart clench slightly. She had been such a wonderous woman, so kind and thoughtful to those around her. The Pokemon at the lab surely loved her, and mourned with him when they learned of her death. Alex had only been three at the time, so she really wouldn't remember anything of her mother. But the professor was reminded of her everyday, just by looking at Alex. She looked just like her mother, from her pale skin and black hair, to her emerald green eyes and bright smile. Not only did she look like her mother, but she acted just like her. The Pokemon took to her as soon as she started helping around the lab, and she learned how to handle so many different situations from them. Now, the professor knew he couldn't keep her back, she was ready for this, she needed it.

Parking the jeep, Professor Birch stepped out, turning to the back, he grabbed the following behind him as they both set out toward the door of the lab, she clipped on her hip bag, and adjusted it securely to her waist. Walking through the large doors, Alex looked around eagerly, taking in all the sights of the new place. Whipping around wildly, Alex could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. She was so wrapped up in her surroundings, she failed to realize that her father had walked off to talk to another man, both watching Alex with an amused look.

"She's grown quite a bit since I last saw her." Professor Birch looked at his friend, before turning to look warmly at his daughter. He squeezed the strap of the backpack, which he had been holding the entire time, turning to Professor Oak, he nodded.

"Yes, she helps out a lot back at the lab, and knows how to handle pokemon quite well." Professor Oak smiled as he watched the girl wander about. He could tell she was going to be a good trainer, just like her mother was. Steping forward, Professor Oak walked over to Alex. As he approached, she looked up, her eyes shining eagerly as the professor walked over to her.

"Hello Alex, how are you today?" Alex smiled lightly.

"I'm alright Professor, how are you?" Professor Oak laughed slightly before nodding.

"I'm fine my dear, I'm fine. Are you ready to pick out your Pokemon now?" Alex's eyes glittered as she nodded eagerly.

"You bet I am, and I know just the one I want too!" The Professor chuckled before motioning for her to follow him to a room right off the one they were in. Alex followed eagerly, her eyes glittering with the thought of the adventure soon to start. She knew exactly what Pokemon she was going to get; the same Pokemon her mother started out with when she was Alex's age. Following close behind the professor, Alex waited patiently as he pressed a button on a machine, and three poke balls rose from the tubes. Inspecting the poke balls carefully, Alex picked up the pokeball in the middle, and sent out the Pokemon contained within.

"Squirtle squirt?" Alex blinked as she stared at the small blue turtle standing on it's back legs. It's muddy brown eyes were looking around in something akin to disinterest, and a bored expression was settled on it's face. Scrunching up her nose, Alex made a face as the Squirtle turned to glare at her irritation. Holding out the poke ball, she returned the Squirtle and shook her head, before putting it back on the machine.

"Not a fan of Squirtle?" Alex turned and blinked at Professor Oak. He was watching her with a kind smile, while her father was standing at the back of the room watching with a blank expression. Grinning weakly, Alex rubbed the back of her neck.

"That's not it, the Squirtle just didn't like me all that much I guess. I didn't really like the look he gave me either." Professor Oak nodded in understanding. That particular Squirtle didn't really get along with anyone but his grandson, and that was only because they were both arrogant. Turning back to the machine, Alex inspected the two remaining poke balls before grabbing the one on the left. Throwing the ball up in the air, the young trainer-to-be watched as a small red lizard emerged from the ball. Both professors saw a flicker of interest enter the girl's eye as she examined the fire type Pokemon. Professor Birch knew his daughter had a admiration for fire types, as she seemed to spend most of her time around them back at home. For a moment, all was still in the lab as the Charmander examined Alex, and she willingly returned the favor.

Then, all hell broke loose as the small lizard seemed to grow angry all of a sudden, and Alex had to dive for cover as a jet of flames rushed out at her. A squeal of fear left Alex's mouth as the Charmander kept it's attack up, attempting to fry the innocent young girl. The professors made a dive for Charmander's poke ball, but it was knocked away as they instead collided with each other, making the ball roll under a nearby desk. Charmander turned to see what the sudden commotion was, and simply stared at the grown men on the floor. Alex saw her chance, and made a dive for a nearby couch, in an attempt to hide from the angered Pokemon. Whipping back around, Charmander only seemed to grow angrier when he realized she was running, and quickly shot his flames after her. Giving a scream of fear, Alex threw her hands in front of her face and cowered, expecting to feel the flames scorching her small form.

When no pain came, Alex lowered her hands slightly and peaked over her fingers. Standing in front of her was the same Squirtle as before, but he was not alone. A boy her age was standing next to the small turtle, and he had a poke ball in each of his hands. His one hand was raised, and Alex realized the poke ball clutched in it was the one that belonged to the temper mental Charmander. Looking around, she let out a sigh of reliefe when she saw that there was no lizard left, and no damage had been done to the lab. Turning back to the two in front of her, she jumped slightly when she realized that Squirtle had walked over to her, and his cruel expression from before was missing. Instead, the small turtle seemed to be looking at her with something akin to concern, as he looked at her with careful eyes.

"Squirt squir?" Alex looked at the Squirtle in a daze, not really paying attention to what it was trying to communicate to her. Instead, she just sat there with slightly wide eyes, after processing the fact that she had just nearly been fried to death before she even really got a chance to become a trainer.

"He's asking if you're alright." Jumping slightly, Alex raised her eyes to the boy who had saved her. He was looking at her in a similar way as the small Squirtle, with his eyebrows furrowed and his black eyes watching her curiously. Nodding slightly, Alex pushed herself up and started to stand on her shaky legs. After making it up, Alex stumbled slightly as she tried to take a step. A hand shot out and grabbed her upper arm, helping hold her up, and move her to the couch.

"You should really be careful, you can't just get up and walk around after what happened." Alex looked up at the boy, who was now watching her with a confused gaze. His eyebrows, which matched his red-brown hair, were furrowed once again, and his mouth was set in a slight frown. Catching her gaze, the boys eyebrows relaxed, but the frown remained. The two pre-teens openly stared at each other, one with a blank look, the other with a dazed expression. Their contact was broken when Professor Birch suddenly walked up and pulled Alex into his arms, letting out a noisy sigh of relief.

"Alex sweetheart, are you alright?" Alex blinked, snapped out of her daze by her father's voice. Letting her tense shoulders droop slightly, she nodded.

"Yeah dad, I'm fine. Charmander's aim sucked, missed me both times." Smiling slightly at her father, Alex brought her hand up and messed with her shoulder-length bangs. Professor Birch only gave a weak laugh, shaking his head.

"Leave it to you to downplay a situation like that." Looking at his daughter in obvious relief, a sudden serious expression crossed Professor Brich's face. "Just remember Alex, there might not be someone there to save you if anything like this were to happen on your journey. What would you have done if that was a wild Charmander, and you were alone?" Alex looked blankly at her father for a moment before giving a small mischivious grin.

"I think I would be very crispy right now dad." Professor Birch only gave a groan of agitation. Sometimes, he really hated the fact that Alex took after her mother so much. Always the sarcastic ones, the both of them. Before the professor was given a chance to nag his daughter however, Professor Oak cleared his throat, and both Birch family members remembered they were not alone. Turning to the eldest person in the room, Professor Birch and Alex watched Professor Oak as he put his hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled at them. Charmander's poke ball had been put back in it's spot, and Squietle's poke ball was still in the boy's hand. Alex's eyes landed on the last poke ball of the three; the one that contained the Pokemon she had been intending to get from the start. Charmander had just distracted her, she had meant to return it as soon as she realized it was not the one she wanted, and then the Pokemon had attacked.

"Well, I take it you don't want Charmander then?" Turning back to the others, Alex felt her cheeks get hot as Professor Oak watched her with a knowing look.

"Hehe, no thanks. I really like fire types, but I get the feeling that one really didn't like me." Professor Oak merely smiled at the girl, and blinked as he realized he had forgotten something important.

"Ah yes, Professor, Alex, this is my grandson Gary. I had forgotten he was supposed to come meet me to get his Pokemon today. Apparently, he came at a very convenient time." The boy, now known as Gary, nodded at both the people on the couch. Alex stood and walked over to the two, and stuck her her hand out to Gary.

"Hi, my name is Alex. My goal is to become one of the best trainers there is. Oh, and thanks for saving me, I really appreciate it." Gary looked at the girl in front of him, who stood only 4'6" tall, compared to his 4'10". For a moment, he did nothing, but then a cocky smirk slid across his features, and he shook Alex's hand.

"No problem. You may want to re-think that goal of yours though; we can't have people who can't even control a starter pokemon running around with pokemon of their own, it's just plain dangerous." Alex's eyes widened, and a stunned expression dominated her face. For a moment, she openly gaped at Gary, and then her cheeks turned bright red, and her eyes narrowed down to green slits.

"Why you arrogant jerk! I'm being polite and thanking you, and you insult me?!" Alex's words had a hissing noise to them, as she was forcing them out from behind her clenched teeth.

"Heh, you have manners, I'll give you that, but that won't help your poor training skills any." Alex only seemed to grow angrier at Gary's words. After glaring at him harshly, Alex turned and walked over to the remaining poke ball and tossing it into the air. With a beam of white light the pokemon within was released. Standing before everyone was a small green dinosaur with a plant bulb on it's back. Settled on all four feet, the Bulbasaur looked around it with wide eyes. Crouching down to it's height Alex stuck her hand out for the small green grass Pokemon to sniff. Looking at her hand with curiosity, Bulbasaur leaned forward and took a tentative sniff of the girl's scent. Bulbasaur's eyes widened a moment later, and it gave a happy cry as it leaped into Alex's arms, making the her giggle with appreciation.

"Well, well, it looks like you found your Pokemon Alex." Turning to look at Professor Oak, Alex nodded happily as her new Bulbasaur rubbed the side of his face into her gently. Giving a nod of his own, Professor Oak stepped back as Alex stood, Bulbasaur still clutched in her hands. Walking across the room to a desk, Professor Oak picked up two red devices, and walked back to the middle of the room. Alex had walked over to Professor Birch to introduce her new friend, and was talking excitedly to her father. Gary was standing in the same spot as before, his arms crossed across his chest. He was watching Alex with the same confused look in his eyes as before, but he tore his eyes away as his grandfather reached him. Professor cleared his throats, and Alex walked back over to him with a curious look, examining the devices in his hands. Holding them out, Professor Oak waited until both pre-teens took one, and then explained.

"These are pokedexs. They will document any and all Pokemon you run into on your journies, including the ones you do not catch. Very handy devices these are, as they can give you needed information on any Pokemon you fight. Both will also act as your IDs and identify you as trainers. Your license are already in them, as well as your information. Good luck to the both of you on your journies." Looking at her pokedex, Alex suppressed a squeal of excitement. This was it, she was finally going to start her journey as a trainer. As long as she had her Bulbasaur by her side, and her dream in her heart, she wasn't going to stop. Grabbing her Bulbasaur's poke ball, she returned her first Pokemon. After clipping the poke ball to her belt, and slipping her pokedex in the white hip bag she had, Alex turned to her father.

"Don't worry dad, I'm going to make you and mom proud." Professor Birch gave a sad smile, and pulled his daughter into his arms, giving her a last hug before she left him for her journey.

"You already have Alex, trust me." Alex smiled with delight, and wrapped her arms around her father's waist tightly. After holding the embrace for a moment, Alex pulled away and grinned eagerly. Professor Birch sigh, and then held out her backpack, which had been dropped on the floor in all the commotion. Alex took the bag, the grin still caught on her features. She wanted to appear confident to her father, and everyone around her; though if the truth be told, she was terrified. Never had she been without her father for more than a week, and going away for so long scared her. Shaking the feeling off, Alex pulled on her backpack and sighed, the grin finally falling from her one final time to Professor Oak, Alex gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you for your help Professor Oak. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to help me get my Pokemon and start my journey." Professor Oak merely chuckled lightly, before walking over and patting Alex on the head. He then stuck his hand into his pocket and came out with five empty poke balls, and handed them to Alex. Taking the poke balls, Alex put them in her hip bag, and excited grin on her face. Looking Professor Oak in the eye once more, Alex grinned again as he nodded.

"Good luck my girl." Turning to the last person in the room, Alex's kind smile turned into a determined frown, and her eyes narrowed slightly. Gary was looking at her with the same egotistical smirk as before, and it was grating on Alex's nerves.

"You...well I'm just going to kick your butt in everything. I'm going to become a top trainer, and leave you in the dust." Gary's smirk only widened at Alex's declaration.

"You keep thinking that, maybe when I turn out to be the better trainer you won't feel so pathetic." Alex only gave a shriek of anger at Gary's words, and then turned and ran out the room and down the hall. Gary followed a moment later, a satisfied look on his face as he trailed after the ambitious and lively girl. The professors moved to the window and watched as the front door to the lab was thrown open, and Alex darted out and down the drive to the lab, no doubt heading for the forest. Stopping at the end, Alex turned and searched the windows of the lab. Spotting the two, she raised her arm and waved happily, a confident smile on her face once more. When Gary stepped out however, a scowl overtook her happy look, and she turned and ran again, heading toward the adventure that awaited her. Gary simply walked down the drive, and stopped at the end as a crowd of admirers gathered around him instantly.

"So, how long do you think it will be before we hear that they've realized they have feelings for each other?" Professor Birch turned to his comrade with a weak smile. The thought that a boy might chase after his daughter one day had always worried him, but seeing how Gary and Alex reacted to each other today, he realized that thought was coming closer to being a reality.

"You noticed it too I guess?" Professor Oak nodded slightly, while his eyes rested on his grandson at the end of the drive. His cheerleaders were gathered around him, all vying for the younger Oak's attention.

"I've never really seen him act that way around a girl before...well, I mean besides the arrogance." Professor Birch scoffed ligtly, a tired grin on his face.

"Hopefully Samuel, it won't be for a few years yet. If it's any sooner than that, I think I might have to hunt down your grandson." Professor Oak laughed out loud at this, and nodded his head to Professor Birch's words.

"Yes, but eventually it will happen." Heaving a sigh, Professor Birch looked at Gary's form one last time, and then stepped away from the window, and walked over to the couch. Dropping down onto it, he covered his eyes with his hand and groaned.

"Unfortunately, I think you may be right."

-_-_-_-With Alex-_-_-_-

Alex walked at a quick pace, holding tightly onto her poke ball. Finally, she was out on her journey, and there was nothing that was going to stop her; not even Gary Oak. Narrowing her eyes, Alex fought a blush as the image of Gary with that cocky smirk of his entered her mind. She had a feeling he had girls falling all over him, and if there was one thing she would NOT be, it was a fan-girl. That was something she absolutely refused to do, even if it killed her. Feeling her own smirk starting to bloom, Alex nodded her head.

_You better watch out Oak, because from now on, you're my number one rival._

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**Well, how was that? I don't think it's that bad personally, and it's helping me get my creative juices flowing. I really don't care if you guys think this is a dumb idea, and a story based on an OC is stupid. Like I said, this is for my own amusement than anyone else's. Anyway, I'll start working on the next chapter soon. I'll try to keep it believable too, so no, Alex isn't going to become some amazingly strong trainer really soon; she has her own challenges to go through before she starts becoming any good. Anyway, review please.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! I got some nice reviews already! Thanks to MetalPrincess13 and Ketchum Kid for your support with my story. I didn't have any idea how this thing would go, but your reviews really cheered me up about it. Anyway, I suppose you guys want the story, not my rambling, so here we go!**

_**Flashbacks**_

"Speaking"

_Thoughts_

**Disclaimer: It's the same as last chapter, Alex is mine, I will name the owners of any new OCs added, plot is technically not mine, since I know it's already been done numerous times over.**

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Five days...she had been trapped in this darn forest for five days straight, with no end in sight! Trees, bushes, grass, caves, she'd seen it all. At night she could hear the bug and ghost pokemon moving about, and she could swear a Ghastly was following her. The only real consolation to this disaster was her precious Caterpie. Her adorable Caterpillar was actually mostly an accident. She had no real intention of finding the small green bug, but chance had put it in her path, and she decided to take it.

_**"Alright Bulbasaur, use vine whip!" Bulbasaur threw itself up into the air with a cry, while small thin vines rose from the base of the bulb on it's back. These vines the shot out toward the Rattata on the ground, who squeaked and dodged the small trendils. Turning back around, the small purple rat gave a hiss of anger toward the duo standing across from him. Bulbasaur merely growled back, narrowing it's eyes in on it's opponent. They weren't going to lose this fight, not after how long they had been training to help Bulbasaur learn vine whip. It had taken them a day and a half of fighting other trainers and attacking random pokemon in the woods for him to finally grow strong enough to learn the attack.**_

_**"It's alright Bulbasaur, this one's quick. Okay, go to the left and use leech seed!" Obeying his trainer's commands, Bulbasaur quickly darted to the left, and then faced the Rattata across from it. Growling once more, Bulbasaur leaned down and forward slightly, so that the top of his bulb was pointing directly at the opposing pokemon. With a cry of concentration, Bulbasaur released a stream of small seeds that shot straight for the small pokemon. Rattata gave a squeak of surprise as the seeds latched on to it's fur and instantly took hold, turning quickly into small plants that started to drain it's health. Feeling weak, Rattata turned and made a run for the cover of a bush, hoping to get away from the stronger pokemon.**_

_**"Don't let it get away Bulbasaur, use vine whip again!" Nodding it's head, Bulbasaur once again sent out it's vines. They chased Rattata into the bush, where the grass pokemon lost sight of it's quarry. A moment later however, Bulbasaur felt his vines touch something, which stiffened in fear at the sudden contact. Giving a cry of victory, Bulbasaur wrapped it's vines around the defenseless pokemon, gave a tight squeeze, and then pulled it out into the open. When said pokemon was in front of him and his trainer however, Bulbasaur was surprised to find a Caterpie being squeezed to death in his vine's tight grip. Dropping the small bug immeadiatly Bulbasaur backed off as Alex slowly approached the poor Caterpillar.**_

_**"Oh no, I think you might have actually hurt him Bulbasaur. We have to do something for it, before something else happens." Watching blankly, Bulbasaur saw his trainer pull her bag off her **__**shoulders and pull out a small pot from within it's confines.**_

_**"Hey Bulba, could you go find some sticks for a fire while I get Caterpie comfortable?" Without really giving an answer, Bulbasaur turned and walked off into the brush, keeping it's eyes open for the requested wood. It was shocking...Rattata and Pidgey were strong enough to actually put up a fight around here, but a Caterpie was too weak to really help itself. Grimacing slightly, Bulbasaur felt a stab of regret as he remembered just how hard he had squeezed, thinking he had found the run-away Rattata. Shuffling along, Bulbasaur put his vines to good use, one holding wood, the other picking it up from the forest floor. Soon, he had gathered a decent sized bundle, and turned to return to his trainer's side once more. When he returned to the clearing they had been training in, he found the Caterpie was resting on a set of blankets, while Alex was getting ready to make some soup (Bulbasaur had learned...he was not eating any of that, he would rather have pokefood. Cooking was not one of Alex's strong points.). Looking up, Alex smiled lightly as she saw Bulbasaur's eyes focused on thier guest.**_

_**"He's going to be fine, he fainted from shock." Returning his attention to Alex, Bulbasaur shuffled over to her and dropped the wood in front of the pot she was putting the ingredients into. His task done, Bulbasaur sat beside her and leaned forward to paw at the bag to his left. Nodding her head to his silent demand, Alex started to dig through her bag, looking for the bowl that she used to feed Bulbasaur. Finding the needed object, Alex poured some pokefood from the packs she was carrying, and offered it to the small grass pokemon. Bulbasaur settled in and started to eat slowly, not really paying attention to what was going on around him. Loosing himself to his thoughts, Bulbasaur did not see the sky getting darker, and the fact that Alex had finished her meal (after grimacing at the taste.), and was now putting out her sleeping bag.**_

_**"Are you going to sleep soon Bulbasaur?" Jumping slightly, Bulbasaur turned and stared wide-eyed at his trainer. She had settled into her sleeping bag, and was watching him with concern and curiosity. Bulbasaur did not answer her, instead choosing to openly stare.**_

_**"I put some water out for you, if you're thirsty." Freeing her arm, Alex pointed to the bowl that had appeared to his left without him noticing. Looking down at it, Bulbasaur let out a huff of gratitude. He had gone to a kind and catering trainer; most would demand a pokemon eat and be ready to travel the next day. Raising his head, Bulbasaur sat up and walked over to Alex quickly. Once he reached her side, he leaned down and rubbed his cheek against hers, a habit he had started in the lab, and now seemed unable to stop. Alex's hand came up and patted him on the head, her eyes illuminated in the dying embers of the fire she had made for dinner.**_

_**"Alright, well just come over when you're ready, you deserve some nice rest after all our battles today." Bulbasaur nodded, and waddled back to his previous spot. Leaning down, he took a sip of water from the metal bowl in front of him. The liquid was cool and sweet against his tongue, and he started to lap at it greedily. A moment later, he stopped, and then walked over to a tree and sat under it. Turning his attention to the sky, Bulbasaur marveled at the many starts that dotted the navy backdrop. Even back at the lab, when Bulbsaur had been waiting for a trainer to claim him, and for him to claim, he had always watched the stars. They had a calming effect on him, and he couldn't resist their pull at night. Now that he had Alex, and was traveling with her, he could see the stars from so many different places.**_

_**"Bul bulba." Muttering to himself happily, Bulbasaur turned and walked over to his trainer. Alex had fallen asleep not too long ago, and Bulbasaur watched her for a moment. Turning away, **__**he walked over to Caterpie and checked on the small bug. Satisfied that it was okay, Bulbasaur pulled the blankets up it's small body more, and then settled in beside it. Maybe if he could be the first one to see it wake, he could apologize for his mistake. Apologizing in front of Alex would be embarrassing; he wanted to be strong for his trainer. Closing his eyes, Bulbasaur felt his dreams pulling on his mind, and allowed himself to be lulled to sleep.**_

And that was the story. The little bug had awoken the next day, and ran off into the forest. Feeling only slightly disappointed, the pokemon-human duo walked off, heading in what they thought to be the correct direction. Their thoughts had turned out to be wrong after they found themselve's helplessly lost in the never-ending Viridian Forest. After walking for a while, the two had stopped to take a break. An unexpected turn of events came when they found out that Caterpie had been following them the entire way they had walked. After a quick battle, which ended in Bulbasaur and Alex's favour, the young trainer had been granted her second pokemon.

"We're never getting out of here, are we?"

"Bulba." Caterpie watched his companions with curiosity. He had been giving small squeaks and comments of his own from the saftey of Alex's shoulder the entire trip. Today was now the third day he had become a part of their small group, and already Caterpie had been getting stronger. After having battled many other Caterpie, and even a Rattata or two, Alex was sure it was close to evolving. Really, it wasn't much to get hyped over, he was only going to be learning harden...not much to add to his current attacks of tackle and string shot. Then again, his defense would raise a bit, and he would have some better HP, so maybe there was something to get hyped about.

"Ugh, I'm so tired! That last trainer was really hard, but you guys did really good." Caterpie and Bulbasaur both gave a cry of delight at Alex's comment. This was what they enjoyed the most, the recognition they got for their hard work. Continuing their walk, Caterpie went back to his favorite pass time: watching Alex try to figure out how to use a map when she had no idea where she was.

"Um, I think we take a left here...wait no, there's no trail, we must be on the one where you take a right up ahead...oh wait, we were supposed to have hit a split already...uhh..." Looking up and around, Alex let out a disappointed sigh. She wasn't dumb, far from it actually; she was actually intelligent for her age. Her only real problem right now was that she was lost, something that could happen to anyone. Groaning in frustration, Alex lowered the map and sat on the ground. Bulbasaur stopped beside her, while Caterpie made himself comfortable on her shoulder.

"I give up, we're lost!" Feeling her shoulders droop slightly, Caterpie crawled down her arm and into her lap, curling up in a ball. It wasn't Alex's fault they were lost, Viridian Forest was large and very confusing. Looking up, Caterpie squirmed in alarm as he saw the upset expression on his trainer's face. From what Bulbasaur had learned from the week or so he had been with Alex, and Caterpie himself from his three days, this was not an expression that would usually adorn her face. Both pokemon glanced at each other, sadness clear in their eyes as their trainer moped.

"Pitying yourself will get you nowhere young lady." Poor Caterpie was sent flying as Alex jumped to her feet, completely forgetting her pokemon. Bulbasaur caught the small bug with his vines, putting him on the ground as he turned to see just who had spoken. Blinking in slight shock, Bulbasaur registered what exactly he was seeing in front of him. Standing under a tree was an old man, wearing a white shirt, brown slacks, and brown shoes. Kind black eyes were watching the small group from a wrinkled face, while a small amount of grey and white hair ringed a bald spot atop the man's head. Beside the man was a tan fox with nine tails, watching the trainer and her pokemon with an aura of calmness. All in all, the two made quite the pair, but there was no real hostility coming from them, and Bulbasaur allowed himself to relax.

"Your pokemon seem quite concerned for you." Alex only gaped at the old man, who had snuck up on them so unexpectedly. His eyes crinckled slightly as he gave a kind smile to the three, obviously amused by thier astonishment.

"You're a new trainer, aren't you?" Closing her mouth, Alex bobbed her head up and down in confirmation. Though her eyes were still wide, the shock seemed to have faded, and was instead replaced by curiosity.

"How could you tell?" Letting out some low, gruff chuckles, the man smiled once more.

"You have an air of loneliness about you, and you look a bit more lost than your current situation calls for." Tilting her head, Alex seemed watched the man with confusion. The old man let out a sigh, and then reached out his hand and pet his pokemon. Leaning it's head back, the fox closed it's eyes and let out a sound akin to a purr, and enjoyed it's treatment. Alex watched with fascination, her eyes having returned to their normal size.

"We can help you to the exit of the forest if you wish." Bulbasaur eyed the man carefully. Though he meant no harm to his trainer now, it didn't mean he wasn't going to turn on them. When the man's eyes only showed friendliness and honesty though, Bulbasaur relaxed slightly. He would not relax entirely, not until they were away from this man and somewhere safe. Turning to his trainer, he saw Caterpie once again on her shoulder, and she was looking at them both for their opinion. When both nodded at her, Alex looked at the old man and smiled.

"I think we would really appreciate the help."

-_-_-_-Later-_-_-_-

"He's a complete jerk! I only wanted to thank him for helping me, and he insults me! I swear, I'm going to make him eat his words when me and the others kick his butt!" The old man, now known as Elliot, let off another round of his rumbling chuckles. Alex had been ranting about Gary for the last fifteen minutes, whether she realized it or not. Caterpie had moved from her shoulder to Ninetales' back, since Alex had started to swing her arms about in emphasis to the words she spoke.

Elliot apparently lived nearby the forest, on the Pewter City side, and he and his Ninetales walked the forest everyday. He had seen many new trainers pass through here, all of them young and excited to be starting their journeys. Many times he had come upon a lost trainer, and would help them through the forest to safety. Alex had taken to the man immediately, and automatically started telling him about her life. After hearing of her dead mother, he had politely expressed his sorrow, but was surprised when Alex told him she could not remember her.

"He sounds like quite the interesting young man." Alex felt her jaw drop at Elliot's words. Gary Oak was not interesting, he was just an arrogant jerk, plain and simple. Shaking her head, Alex sighed; some people just didn't share her oppinions. Well, you can appease to some of them but not all of them. Glancing around, Alex blinked as she realized something: the trees were thinning, and she could actually see bands of sunlight hitting the forest floor. Facing forward, she was met with the sight of a sign that read 'Pewter City: straight ahead' and grinned happily.

"We made it!" Running forward, Alex laughed as she saw a break in the trees ahead of her. Passing them, she was met with the sight of a city sprawled out before her, down a slight slope. There were many stones strewn about the place, and even more people could be seen bustling about on the streets. Searching frantically, Alex could just make out the red roof of a large building at the center of the metropolis, no doubt the pokemon center. Turning back around, she was met with the sight of her traveling companions emerging from the trees of Viridian Forest. Caterpie and Bulbasaur quickly came over to her, and stopped beside her to admire the city much as she had.

"Well, this is as far as I take you Miss Alexandra." Looking Elliot straight in the eye, Alex walked over and hugged the man briefly. He seemed surprised, but eventually hugged her back lightly.

"Thank you so much for your help. If you hadn't come, who knows how long we would have been in there?" Elliot laughed once more, and stepped back as Alex pulled away. Giving him one last smile, Alex turned and returned Bulbasaur and Caterpie to their pokeballs. Pulling her backpack more securely onto her shoulders, Alex prepared to run down the slope.

"Miss Alexandra." Turning to look at Elliot, Alex was suprised to see a serious look on his face, a change from his usual jolly one.

"Yes?" Sighing through his nose, Elliot focused his attention on the young girl before him.

"If there is something you take from the time we have spent together, let it be this: a pokemon's strength is not judged based upon the damage they do to their opponent, or the power of their attacks, rather on the bond they share with their trainers. A pokemon who's trainer takes good care of it, and always meets it's wants and needs will always put more effort into a battle than one who is only ever constantly trained. Remember this Miss Alexandra, and you and your pokemon will go far." Alex stared at Elliot with a blank expression on her face. Then, a smile slowly broke out, and her eyes glittered with appreciation as she nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind." Elliot nodded back, and then made a shooing motion with his hand. Alex waved, and then turned and ran down the hill, heading straight for the pokemon center. Tonight she would rest, but tomorrow she would begin her training to take on the Pewter City gym. If she could get her Caterpie to a Butterfree, then get her Bulbasaur to a decent strength, she could actually stand a chance. If she was really lucky, maybe she could capture a third pokemon and do even better. Finally reaching the streets of Pewter City, Alex looked around frantically. The city was huge, and it would be a while before she found her way to the pokemon center. Shrugging her shoulders, Alex started walking, making her way to the center of the city.

"Well well, look who finally decided to show up." Grinding her teeth together, Alex felt her shoulders tense up at the sound of an annoying voice. She had been here for an hour, and already someone had it out for her. Turning slowly, Alex felt her peaceful expression from before slide away, and replace itself with a harsh glare.

"What the heck do you want Oak; Can't you see I'm busy?!" Alex sneered slightly, trying to control the sudden stab of anger she felt at the boy standing across from her. Gary merely smirked back, both his arms wrapped around the waists of a cheerleader. The cheerleaders who did not currently hold his attention were looking at him in adoration, their eyes practically spewing hearts.

"I was beginning to wonder where you went; I mean, it's been four days since I showed up. I'm not that surprised though, since they should have never made someone as unable as you a trainer." Gritting her teeth, Alex balled her fist. If she had the option, she would punch the smirk off Gary's face, but he would probably go and whine to Officer Jenny or something.

"One day I'll make you eat those words Oak." Gary's eyes flashed at the obvious challenge, and he pulled his arms away from the cheerleaders. Reaching down to his belt, he pulled off one of his pokeballs.

"No time like the present...unless you're scared of course. You should be too, my pokemon have gotten really strong already." Alex opened her mouth to retort, but stopped herself as she remembered Elliot's words.

_**"A pokemon's strength is not judged based upon the damage they do to their opponent, or the power of their attacks, rather on the bond they share with their trainers. A pokemon who's trainer takes good care of it, and always meets it's wants and needs will always put more effort into a battle than one who is only ever constantly trained."**_

Blinking her eyes, Alex let a smirk draw across her face. She wasn't going to battle him...not today at least. Shaking her head, Alex turned away from Gary and his cheerleaders, and walked in the direction she had been heading when he arrived. The red roof of the pokemon center was visable to everyone on the street, and Alex was anxious for a decently cooked hot meal, and an actual bed to sleep in.

"Where the heck do you think you're going?!" Turning half way to face Gary, Alex gave a mischevious grin. The young Oak looked angrily at her, his face somewhat red from his frustration. It was obvious he had never been denied anything he wanted, and here she was doing just that.

"I'm not battling you today Gary. Any other day I would, but me and my pokemon are tired, and they're more important to me than staying here just to cater to you." Gary's eyes widened, while his cheerleaders tittered nervously. They didn't know what to do in a situation like this, so they didn't do anything at all. Watching Alex's back get smaller and smaller, Gary mulled her words over in his head, wondering just what had happened in that forest.

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**Well, there you go, chapter 2. I'm gonna start working on chapter 3 tomorrow, so until then, buh-bye.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ugh I hate Benadrill. While it is useful, it has it's downs. I was having an allergic reaction to something in my math class (I say it was the math itself, I hate that stuff...) so my mom picked me up from school and gave me Benadrill. So instead of getting the hours head start on my homework and writing, I was playing dead on my couch for three hours instead. My brother coming home is what woke me. So anyway, I apologize if this is late, if not; if not, yay me, I got it done.**

**_Flashbacks_**

_Thoughts_

"Speaking"

**Disclaimer: Darn it I'm not in the mood...My OCs are mine, I'll list the owners of others, plot is overdone and belongs to many, pokemon does not belong to me.**

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Alex groaned in appreciation as she sat down at the base of a giant maple tree. For the last three days she had been training hard, and her efforts paid off. Bulbasaur's moves now consisted of sleep powder, poinsonpowder, vine whip, and leech seed. Her Caterpie had evolved into a Metapod not long after she arrived, and finally into a Butterfree last night. Butterfree's moves included confusion, tackle, stun spore, and poisonpowder. An added plus was her third pokemon joining her party: a female Mankey. The only real downside to this, was that her Mankey refused to take orders or hold still for any amount of time. But, it was still a pokemon, even if it was a pain in the butt. Mankey, though refusing to listen to her, still stayed nearby to watch, perhaps curious.

"Alright guys, take a break for now." Bulbasaur and Butterfree both made their way to Alex's side, before they too sat on the grass. They had been training hard for the Pewter City gym, and all three of them felt confident they would win against Brock.

"We'll make it you guys, you've been working too hard for us not to." Bulbasaur and Butterfree both hummed happily, and then leaned against Alex slightly. The rattle of branches above them alerted them to Mankey's presence, and both of them glanced up at the small monkey. Her eyes were locked on Alex, a slight anger fuming in their crimson depths. Though she was not happy, Mankey would not attack Alex, she had already learned it was not a smart move. She had tried yesterday, and was met with Butterfree's confusion attack right in her face. The small fighting type monkey stood no chance, especially since confusion was super effective, and Butterfree was too high in the air for her to attack.

"Mankey, why won't you come down here?" Mankey's pig like nose twitched slightly. Then the pokemon jumped off the branch she was on onto one across from the three. Bulbasaur and Butterfree watched with pity for the newest member of their small group. It wasn't per say that Mankey hated Alex, it just hated the fact she had caught her. Mankey was obviously used to the fact that it had freedom, and for Alex to take that away was very aggravating. Alex, who was also watching Mankey, gave a small sigh. She hated the fact that one of her pokemon wasn't happy with her; she was used to pokemon enjoying her company, not actively avoiding it. Standing up, Alex turned back to Butterfree and Bulbasaur.

"Come on you two, we gotta go get you healed, then we're heading off to the gym to battle the leader." Pulling out their pokeballs, Alex returned the two, and then turned to look in the trees for Mankey. The small monkey had mysteriously disappeared, and no trace was left of it. Alex was getting used to this, since this was the fifth time Mankey had done this. She absolutely abhorred her pokeball, and would run whenever Alex pulled it out. It didn't matter though, she would show back up eventually; for even though she hated being around Alex, she had a large sense of curiosity. Turning her back to their training spot, Alex started walking in the direction of the pokemon center.

_Well, this is it: my first badge. Hopefully we'll do okay, though I'm slightly worried. Butterfree won't be any use, Brock could take him out with one hit. This will depend entirely on Bulbasaur; and if Mankey would stop being such a baby, she would be really helpful._

Alex bit her bottom lip slightly, a sense of panic rising up in her. She knew Bulbasaur was growing fast, but would the small dinosaur be enough to take on Brock? Shaking her head, Alex decided to worry on it when she was actually fighting Brock. Looking down slightly, Alex's eyes rested on the two pokeballs clutched tightly in her left hand. Her pokemon were depending on her with this, and she needed them. If she seemed nervous, then they would get nervous, and might slip up. Raising her eyes, Alex set a determined look on her face and nodded.

_We'll make it, I know we will._

-_-_-_-Later-_-_-_-

"Onix, use bind!"

"Dodge it Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur attempted to jump out of the way of the giant rock serpent, but gave a cry of shock as it's tail wrapped around it's body tightly. He had managed to take out Brock's Geodude, and has been battling Onix for a short while now. Unfortunately, Geodude had gotten in a couple good hits, and Bulbasaur was tired. Onix tightened it's grip on the smaller pokemon, and the sound of rocks grating against each other filled the gym. Giving a cry of pain, Bulbasaur tried to twist it's way out of Onix's grip, but it was of no use. Alex watched helplessly as her pokemon was crushed, while Brock stood on the other side of the gym with a blank face.

"Bulbasaur, use vine whip on it's face!" Obeying his command, Bulbasaur sent out his vines, and aimed for Onix's face. His attempts were stopped however, when Onix only pulled it's face out of Bulbasaur's reach. Alex bit her lip once more; she was backed into a corner with this. If her Bulbasaur fainted, she was going to have to send out her Butterfree, and he didn't stand a chance against Brock's Onix. Bulbasaur gave another cry of pain, and Alex tried to wrack her brain for a solution to her problem.

"Bulbasaur, try using sleep powder!" Nodding his head, the grimace on Bulbasaur's face only got worse when Onix once more tightened his grip on him. Shaking his bulb as best as he could, Bulbasaur let some of the shiny green powder shot from the top of the plant. The powder floated up into the air, and then settled on Onix's body; none of it making it to the rock pokemon's face.

"Finish it Onix." The giant rock snake gave a growl of agreement, and then squeezed Bulbasaur harder.

"No! Bulbasaur, use vine whip again!" Giving one last attempt, Bulbasaur sent out his vines. Onix watched with amuesment as they swung out at him, but were too weak to do any damage. Growing tired of it's game, Onix lifted the end of it's tail high into the air. Bulbasaur looked around with a fearful look as his defensless body was lifted. Watching carefully, Onix glanced between Bulbasaur and the ground, his eyes shining with victory. Not a moment later, Onix brought his tail down hard, and smashed it into the ground. Bulbasaur gave one last cry of pain, and then it's eyes closed in defeat.

"No, Bulbasaur!" Onix let go of his prey, and watched as Alex ran out to the poor pokemon. Bulbasaur only managed to lift it's head weakly as Alex got to him.

"Bulba bul." Alex nodded her head sadly at her pokemon, and pulled it's pokeball from her belt.

"It's okay Bulbasaur, you tried your hardest." Returning her pokemon, Alex made her way back to her side of the field. Her panic was full blown now, as Onix still had most of it's health, and her Butterfree stood no chance. Pulling off her pokemon's pokeball, Alex glanced down at it fearfully. Her poor Butterfree would be beaten so quickly, it wasn't even funny.

"Send out your next pokemon or forfeit trainer." Raising her eyes to Brock, Alex felt herself flinch slightly. Brock was watching her with a blank expression on his face, while Onix watched her eagerly. Nodding her head, Alex raised her pokeball and got ready to throw it. A small blur of tan and brown fur passed her by however, and stopped in the middle of the field. Alex felt her eyes widen against her will when she saw the little monkey pokemon standing before her, glaring daggers at Onix.

"Mankey?" Glancing back at her, Mankey gave a shriek of anger, and then turned back to Onix. Brock was blinking his eyes in confusion, but shook it off and nodded none the less.

"Good, you've chosen your pokemon." Gaping openly, Alex only remained still for a moment, and then began to swing her arms around.

"Wait what?! No no no! Mankey won't take any commands from me; I can't use her!" Raising an eyebrow, Brock smirked slightly.

"Do you own her pokeball?" Alex blinked at the question, and lowered her arms in confusion.

"Well yeah...of course I do." Nodding his head, Brock let the smirk drop.

"If you own her pokeball, then she is your pokemon. It doesn't matter is she takes commands or not, she's still a pokemon, and she's still perfectly capable to battle. Her not listening to you is your problem, so if you don't mind, I would like to get this on with; Onix, use rock throw!" Alex groaned in horror as she watched Onix lift one of the boulders from the gym floor and throw it at Mankey. The small monkey on jumped out of the way, and then screeched at Onix in anger yet again. Deciding she had nothing to lose, Alex called out to Mankey.

"Mankey, use low kick!" Mankey ignored Alex completely, and instead shook it's fist at Onix, a silent dare for him to attack her again. Taking the challenge, Onix growled at Mankey, and then lunged for her tiny body. Mankey dodged him, and then got up on his head, and started jumping up and down.

"Mankey stop fooling around and use karate chop!"

"Onix, shake it off and then use tackle." Pulling itself from the floor, Onix's eyes crossed slightly as he looked up at the small pig monkey on his head. He then started to whip his head around viciously, from side to side, in an attempt to dislodge the now annoying pokemon. Mankey's eyes widened, and she darted over to the fin that jutted out from Onix's head and held on as best as she could. Growling, Onix started to shake his head harder, even going so far as to slam his head against the ground in an effort to get rid of the nuisance. Finally loosing her grip, Mankey tumbled to the ground while Onix lifted his head back up, but swayed slightly. Seeing her chance, Alex called out to her pokemon once more.

"Okay Mankey, I'm serious this time, use low kick!" Finding herself ignored once more, Alex felt her left eye twitch slightly. This pokemon would be the death of her. Mankey continued to ignore her trainer, and instead started screeching at Onix once more. Loosing her patience, Alex found herself suddenly yelling.

"Will you just do something you annoying monkey?!" That seemed to get Mankey's attention, and she turned to glare daggers at Alex. For a moment, the two only stared each other down, and then Mankey snapped. Turning back to Onix, Mankey started flailing her arms and legs about the place, and her shrieks and growls got louder. Both trainers covered their ears as the gym walls bounced the sound back, making the racket that much worse on their ears.

"Oh, I'm so dead." Alex moaned to herself in horror. There was no way she was going to win this like this, and she would be lucky if Brock ever let her come back to try again. Just as she was starting her silent pity-me rant, Makney ran toward Onix with anger clear in her eyes. Reaching a close distance, Mankey jumped, and swung her foot forward toward the giant rock pokemon. Onix gave a cry of pain as Mankey's attack connected with his body, and he was thrown back behind Brock. Mankey refused to stop however, and chased Onix to the back of the gym, where she started to kick him once more. Both trainers watched in shock as the tiny monkey continued to beat on Onix, who was unable to escape the attacks. With one last kick, Onix growled in defeat, and then crashed to the ground, where Mankey stood watching carefully.

"Onix, return." Onix disappeared in a beam of red light, and Mankey turned to glare at Brock. Before any damage could be done however, Mankey herself was trapped in a similar beam, and pulled into the pokeball she so despised. Alex stood, looking at the pokeball in her hand in wonder. Her Mankey had just taken down Brock's Onix, with little to no effort. Granted, Bulbasaur had managed to get rid of some of it's health, but Mankey did the majority of the work.

"You should work on gaining control of your pokemon, or something like this could happen again...and it might not be a pokemon Mankey attacks next time." Alex looked up to see Brock gazing at her calmly. Nodding her head, she lowered her eyes in shame, and let her hair fall in front of her face. Brocks steps crunched against the gravel on the gym floor as he made his way over to Alex, reaching into his pocket as he went.

"Your pokemon are well trained; you should be proud." Lifting her head, Alex gave a meek smile as Brock stepped in front of her. He held out his hand, and in his palm was the Boulder Badge. The badge's many surfaces glinted in the light, and Alex felt her excitement as she stared down at it. Reaching out, she took the badge from Brock's hand, and admired it quickly. Pulling out her badge case, which was white with a red pokeball on the lid, Alex put the badge in it's place and snapped the lid shut.

"If you can get your Mankey to obey you, it will be a powerful ally." Looking back up at the leader, Alex felt herself smile. She was going to work on getting her Mankey's trust, no matter how long it took. Nodding to Brock, Alex put her badge case away.

"I'll work on it. She's quite hard headed, so it might take a while." Alex blinked as she saw an actual smile appear on Brock's face.

"Judging by the way you acted today, I'd say you stand a pretty good chance." Alex laughed at Brock's words. Her father had always called her stubborn, and she had to agree with him. She refused to give up her beliefs, and she wasn't going to start it now. Grinning to herself, Alex gave one last nod to Brock, and then turned and darted to the gym doors. Pulling them open, she ran out into the busy streets of Pewter, and headed towards the pokemon center. A bubble of pride rose in her chest, and Alex contained a squeal of excitement. She finally had her first badge, and three pokemon (granted one seemed to hate her...) and soon would be on her way to her second badge.

After reaching the pokemon center, and dropping her pokemon off with Nurse Joy, Alex wandered back out into the city. Between the training for her battle, and actively avoiding Gary Oak, who refused to leave her alone, Alex had gotten little to no chance to view the city. Many of the shops lining the streets had colorful and eye catching window displays. The citizens kept the sidewalks crowded and busy, while some street vendors called out advertisements for their products. Pokemon were everywhere, following their trainers or lazing along alone, enjoying themselves. Small children ran around, playing tag or hide and seek, having either a parent or pokemon keep a close eye on their small forms.

Staring around in wonder, Alex took in the sights and smells of the city. This was so much different than her home in Littleroot. Her home town was small, so there wasn't really all that much to do there. In fact, Alex was the only trainer of her age group in Littleroot. All the other trainers were either older and already gone, or too young to start their journey. Apparently, there were many more trainers her age here in Kanto. A sudden growl made Alex look around in question. After seeing that nobody seemed to have heard the noise, Alex wondered if she had been imagining it. A moment later however, another came, and this time Alex realized the growl had come from her stomach.

"Oh...I guess I'm hungry." Shrugging her shoulders, Alex started searching the shop windows.

"There's gotta be somewhere to eat around here." Walking along, Alex kept her eye out for a sign that advertised food. She really didn't feel like going back to the pokemon center, and she didn't see any food vendors on the street. Spying a map of the city posted on a billboard not too far ahead, Alex hurried over and started to look for a restaurant.

"Hmm...oh, there's a buffet place just around the corner, yum." Her goal achieved, Alex set out toward the restaurant, the thought of food making her stomach rumble once again. Maybe she could get a doggy bag to bring back to her pokemon; Bulbasaur seemed to like spicy things. A few minutes later, she reached a building that had a large red sign out front boasting the words 'All you can eat buffett' and Alex happily walked in. The place was rather crowded, and a buzz of conversation filled the air. Wooden tables with comfortable chairs were placed about the place, and a large fireplace filled the room with warmth as some logs burned behind the gate blocking children's hands. All in all, the place had a rather homey feel, and Alex could feel it growing on her already.

Weaving her way through the tables, Alex searched for a place to sit. Many families seemed to be enjoying their lunch together, and Alex gave in to the temptation to smile as a child waved at her as she passed. She really liked little kids, they were so cute. There were a lot of little kids in Littleroot, and Alex would enjoy watching them play in the park when she needed time to herself. Finally finding a table in the back, Alex pulled off her bag and put it on the chair, then sat in the chair next to it. A waiter came around a few minutes later to get her drink order, and then Alex stood and walked over to the buffet tables. There were all sorts of food imaginable, and Alex felt her mouth water at the delicious smells that wafted towards her. Grabbing a plate, Alex searched the various foods for something she might like. She might not care about some things, such as if what she was wearing was in fashion,but she was a very picky eater. Finding some fried rice, Alex quickly scooped some onto her plate, and went looking for an entree to go with it.

Fourty five minutes, two plates of food, and a cup and a half of soda later found Alex sitting contentedly in her chair. A lazy grin was on her face, and she sighed with happiness as she waited for her food to settle in her stomach. A paper bag was in front of her, with many different kinds of food inside for her place had good food, and Alex was sure she was going to return one day for more. Turning her head, Alex let her eyes roam the room, looking at all other customers. One pair in particular caught her eye, and she felt her eye twitch in amazement. The boy haad raven hair and brown eyes, a blue shirt and jeans, green fingerless gloves, blue and white running shoes, and a black shirt underneath. A red and white hat was on his head, and a Pikachu was sitting on the table beside him. His companion, a red headed girl with a yellow shirt, short shorts, suspenders, and red and white running shoes, was looking at him with angry green eyes. As far as Alex knew, this boy has eaten close to six plates of food, and four bowls of soup.

"Dang...he's a pig." Watching for a moment more, Alex giggled when the girl suddenly reached out and smacked the boy upside the head, making him choke on the food he was sucking down like a bottomless pit. Shaking her head and grabbing her bag, Alex stood and walked over to the front desk to pay, and then turned and walked out of the restaurant. She had at least a three day travel ahead of her to get to Cerulean City, and she wanted to rest before setting out. Glancing up at the sky, Alex saw the sun had sank below the horizon, and the night was moving in quickly. The moon would be seen, rising to the west; a silver disk against the darkening sky. Turning her back to the moon, Alex headed toward the pokemon center with a contented smile, the bag swinging back and forth in her hand.

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**Well there you go, chapter 3. If it's not very good, blame the damn Benadrill, I'm doped up on it. Anyway, I need some help from you guys, so make me some OCs! Here are the requirements:**

**1. Name**

**2. Pokemon (Nothing inasenly strong, only first forms! I will keep the OCs and have their pokemon evolve as the story goes on. Please make them Kanto pokemon too.)**

**3. Appearance (hair and eye color, cloths, ect..)**

**4. Personality**

**They can't be super powerful, or have any super rare pokemon, so no Mew or anything like that.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay 3 day weekends! Anyway, I've figured out I am in fact not allergic to math (damn, there goes my excuse) but in fact allergic to my cloths (every girl's worst dream!) or rather the dye in two of my new hoodies. Other than that, I'm fine, so I can continue the story and write to my heart's content. **

**Alex: Mine**

**Matt: Ketchum Kid's**

_**Flashback**_

_thoughts_

"Speaking"

**Pokedex**

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to do it?**

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Alex held her flashlight close to her side as she walked along carefully. After a two day journey, she had finally reached , and if she could make it through here, it would only be a short trip to Cerulean. A loud screech made Alex flinch slightly as it bounced off the cave walls. Did she mention she hated Zubat? Unfortunately was filled with the little terrifying bats. When she was a little girl, she was caught in the middle of a zubat swarm, and she had been terrified of the creature since. Now, even the sounds of them in the same area as her scared her. Shaking her head, Alex gulped lightly and continued on.

"Okay, calm down Alex, they're just some dumb Zubats, that's all. Maybe, if you're lucky, you won't run into any of them...yeah, you'll be fine." Nodding her head shakily, Alex sucked in a breath. Really, she didn't believe it, but it was better than letting herself have a panic attack just because there was some Zubats near her. Continuing her journey, Alex winded her way through , searching the maze of tunnels for the door to the other side. The distant rustle of a pokemon scurrying through the dark, or the flap of wings served as encouragement for Alex to walk faster through the never-ending darkness of the mountain.

"Alright, now if what the guide at the beginning of the tunnel said is true, then I should be getting close to the exit by now." The weak light of the flashlight did little good for illuminating the path ahead of her as Alex continued on, watching carefully for anything that might disrupt her progress. She had been in here for around four hours now, so she was most likely drawing close to the end of the tunnels by now. Many times she jumped as the screech of a Zubat, or the cry of a Geodude came from somewhere in the darkness. Shuffling along nervously, Alex gave a cry of delight as a beam of light became visible ahead of her. Running forward, she forgot completely about her fear from before, instead becoming focused on the promise of freedom from the cave.

The sunlight was warm on Alex's face as she stepped from the dark entrance of . A path stretched before her, with a sign off to the side reading 'Cerulean City, straight ahead' on it's worn wooden surface. Letting out a sigh of relief, Alex started to walk, her spirits lifting from the dismal down they had been in moments before. She would be in the city by tonight, which meant she would be getting a decently cooked meal, a warm bed, and some rest from her travel. She had a lot of training to do with her pokemon, and was planning to try and evolve Bulbasaur. Mankey would prove difficult to work with, considering she still didn't trust Alex completely, but they were working on it. In fact, the only reason Mankey liked her right now was for her soup...the monkey actually liked her cooking for some odd reason.

Stopping for a moment, Alex pulled her backpack off her shoulders and opened the zipper. Inside her sleeping bag took up most of the room, with a small pot at the bottom of the bag. A couple packages of pokefood, some bottles of water, bags of food, and a long rope took up the rest of the main pocket. The smaller front pocket held some money for emergencies, since her wallet was in one of the pockets on her hip-bag. A set of potions was in a side pocket, and a map in the other. Her hip bag held her pokeballs, pokedex, some potions, her wallet, and her toothbrush and hairbrush.

Shifting around some of the things in her backpack, Alex made room for her flashlight and stuffed it in between the pot and sleeping bag. After a moment of debate, she pulled out one of the water bottles and a energy bar, and then zipped the bag closed and pulled it onto her shoulders. Opening her snack, Alex continued on her journey, munching on the energy bar and sipping at the water. Nearly a half hour passed, and Alex was relaxed as she walked along, expecting to reach the city very soon.

"Watch out!" Whipping around, Alex only got a glimpse of brown hair before she was bowled over. Hitting the ground, Alex gave a groan of pain as she felt a large weight fall on top her. A matching groan came from the weight, before it was lifted and a boy her age was standing before her.

"Sorry! sorry sorry sorry!" Grumbling to herself, Alex pushed herself off the ground and turned to glare at the boy. His gold eyes were wide with shock, and brown hair stuck out from under a red and gold baseball hat. He had a red and black shirt on his chest, a silver scarf wrapped around his neck, a green backpack, black pants, green, red, and black running shoes, and matching fingerless gloves. A panicked expression was dominating his face, and he was hopping from one foot to the other. Seeing that she was okay, he grinned and held out his hand to help her up. Alex took the hand without a second thought, and pulled herself up off the ground. Dusting off her shorts, she turned to look questioningly at the trainer before her.

"Who the heck are you?" The trainer grinned confidently, and grabbed her hand, holding it with both of his own.

"My name is Matthew, but you may call me Matt pretty girl." Feeling her eye twitch slightly, Alex fought back the blush that started to rise. A moment later, Matt found himself on the ground once more, only this time with a giant bump on his head and an angry female fuming above him. Moaning to himself in pain, Matt couldn't help but wonder what he did wrong.

"You know, most girls like when they're called pretty, it boosts their confidence." Alex only scowled at Matt, who had pushed himself into a sitting position and was now pouting up at her.

"I don't need a boost in my confidence. Besides, you're just a jerk, and I've already got one jerk in my life, and I really don't need another!" Matt blinked twice, and then grinned up at Alex mischievously.

"Yeah...but I could be the cute jerk." Letting out a shriek of anger, Alex turned away from Matt with a huff. Grinning to himself, Matt pushed himself off the ground and walked around Alex to face her.

"Come on, you know you want me." Matt watched with amusement as Alex's eyes bulged at his words. For a moment, she did nothing, and then her face turned red and her scowl from before returned, though the effect was lost due to her blush.

"I do not! Why is every guy I run into a jerk?! First Oak, and now you! What the heck is it about me that guys are so arrogant when they speak to me?!" Matt held in a laugh as the slightly shorter trainer started ranting. She was very amusing when angry, and he could imagine himself seeking her out again just to annoy her. Smirking to himself, Matt turned to gather his bag, which had fallen to the floor with him when he ran into his new acquaintance. He froze, however, when he realized the pocket her kept his pokeballs in was open, and all the small capsules had fallen out.

"Uh, I think I have a problem here." Pausing in her rant, Alex looked over curiously. She may be mad, but she was not heartless, and would help the boy if she could.

"What's wrong?" Pulling up his bag, Matt showed her the open pocket.

"My pokeballs aren't here, which means my pokemon are gone as well." Feeling her eyes widen once more, Alex reached for the pokeballs on her belt, planning to send out her pokemon to assist them in a search. When her hand only grabbed at air however, Alex looked down and searched for her own pokeballs.

"Mine are gone too! They must have rolled away when we ran into each other!" Matt groaned, and whipped his head around searching the forest floor for said pokeballs. There were none in sight, and both trainers couldn't help but feel a sense of panic raise as they got on their hands and knees, searching harder for their precious pokeballs.

"I don't see them anywhere, maybe they rolled into the grass or something?" Matt looked up and over at Alex, who's eyes were darkened with worry. Feeling his stare, Alex raised her eyes to stare back. Emerald met gold, and the trainers both nodded to each other, and then each took a separate side of the road and started searching the grass frantically. For nearly five minutes they were silent, pulling clumps of grass around to search them.

"Found one!" Alex lifted her hand, and in it was clutched a pokeball. The small red and white ball gleamed in the light as she pushed the center button to expand it. Tossing it up into the air, the trainers watched anxiously as a white light bloomed from the ball toward the ground. When the light faded, a small purple ball of fur was left in it's place. A pair of white antennas, big red eyes, a small nose and pincher and a set of both feet and hands were dominating features of the small bug.

"Venonat!" Alex let her shoulders slump. She was happy for Matt, who had run up and hugged the bug happily, but she had hoped it might have been one of her own pokemon. Seeing her expression, Matt smiled good-natured, and turned to his pokemon.

"Venonat, use your sonic waves to find the rest of the pokeballs please." Jumping up and down eagerly, Venonat let out small squeaks, turning in various directions. For a moment it was still, listening to the sonic waves bounce back to it, and then it ran to the side of the road Alex was on. It shifted through the grass for a moment, and the came up with a pokeball in one hand, and another in it's pinchers. Running over to Alex, it dropped them at her feet, before going back and searching once more. After finding another pokeball on her side, it ran over to Matt's side and continued this process, soon finding the last two pokeballs and bringing them to the trainers.

"Nice job Venonat, now let's see which ones are which." Picking up the pokeballs at their feet, the two tossed them up into the air, and watched as the pokemon were released. Standing before them were Bulbasaur, Butterfree, Mankey, Venonat, a Poliwag, and an Eevee. Alex blinked at the sight of the Eevee, and then pulled her pokedex out and pointed it at the small fox.

**Eevee, the evolution pokemon. A rare pokemon that adapts to harsh enviornment by taking on different evoloutionary forms.**

"That's so cool, where did you get it?" Matt puffed his chest up in pride, and bent down to stroke his Eevee's fur.

"My parents gave her to me. We own a pokemon day-care center in Mauvile city, so we get a lot of eggs and such. A trainer just left Eevee's egg with us, and she hatched a little after that. I also got my Venonat and Poliwag from eggs." Alex looked the three over with admiration, before something Matt said registered to her.

"You mean you're from Hoenn too?" Matt blinked up at Alex, who was looking at him eagerly. Her eyes were shining hopefully, and a smile had appeared on her face.

"Yeah, I am. You know, you never told me your name..." Matt leaned back slightly when Alex squealed in joy. She finally met someone from the same region as her! Calming down slightly, Alex let out a breath and sat on the ground.

"My name is Alexandra Birch, but if you call me anything but Alex, you're in for it." Raising an eyebrow at the threat, Matt smirked slightly.

"Birch? As in Professor Birch's daughter?" Alex glared at him harshly. She hated when people suddenly addressed her as such; it always made them act so formally.

"Yeah, so?" Matt grinned cheekily; and rubbed the back of his head.

"Nothing, I'm just a little surprised is all; I never expected you to start in Kanto, I thought you would start in Hoenn or something." Alex let out a huff, and squirmed around until her back was once again facing Matt.

"Well I didn't. I wanted to start here, and nothing's going to stop me. After I'm done with this region, I'm going to Jhoto, and then Hoenn." Matt snorted in amusement, and was on the ground once more. A second bump had joined the first, and he was left holding his head in pain for a third time, once because he ran into Alex (something he was seriously starting to regret...) and twice from her abusive treatment of him.

"Owowow, why must you hit me?" Alex grunted in anger, and then faced away once more.

"Because you're a big jerk!" Matt rubbed the top of his head, and pushed himself up off the ground (for hopefully the last time), before facing his new friend. Bulbasaur and Butterfree had run off to play with his pokemon a little while ago, while Mankey was hanging around near Alex, eyeing Matt warily. Returning the stare, Matt flinched away slightly as Mankey's look turned into a threatening glare. Her job done, the monkey turned and chased after the others, glancing back at Matt one last time before she joined the game of tag they were playing.

"I think your Mankey hates me..." Turning to look, Alex saw Manket stop in her game and glare once more at Matt, before rejoining the others. Alex smirked slightly in amuesment, and held back a laugh at Matt's expense.

"Don't worry, she pretty much hates me too. I think she hates the idea she's no longer free to do what she wants. She won't attack, Butterfree keeps her in line." Nodding his head, Matt glanced up at the sky. The sun was sinking closer and closer to the horizon, and if they didn't hurry, they would be traveling in the darkness.

"I think we should get moving, Cerulean isn't too far away, a half hour at most." Agreeing, Alex stood up and stretched slightly, and then turned and picked up her bag. Turning back to the pokemon, she smiled as she saw them playing around, and was slightly surprised to see Mankey getting along with them so easily.

"Come on guys, we've gotta get a move on!" The pokemon turned their heads at Alex's call, and then came rushing over. Going to their respective trainers, the pokemon waited patiently to be returned to their pokeballs. After securing their pokeballs in safe places, Alex and Matt continued down the road, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Soon the gates of Cerulean City rose over the stretch of road in front of them, and they quickened their steps. Once they passed the gates, the two began a search for the pokemon center, needing both food and rest. Two hours later found them with full stomachs, and tired. Saying good night, the two parted ways and went to their respective rooms. Neither seemed to realize that they had been watched the entire time they were in the pokemon center by a pair of narrowed black eyes.

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**I know, it's shorter than the others, but I had to type it really quick! Anyway, I'll work on chapter 5 tonight, okay? Maybe I'll get it up early. Anyway, no Matt will not take a romantic interest in Alex. He's more for comic relief, a helping hand to Alex, and to make Gary jealous. Yes, I know, very evil. So, good bye for now my loyal reviewers!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Woo, working on Chapter 5! Alrighty, I got 10 reviews! ^^ I got some nice compliments too, so let me thank you all now: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE COMPLIMENTS AND SUPPORTING MY STORY! WOLFIE IS SO HAPPY!! *wags tail* Yes, I know that was wierd, but oh well, I'm happy. Anyway, on with the show:**

**_Flashbacks_**

**Pokedex**

_Thoughts_

"Speaking"

**Disclaimer: I own only MY OC's, but Ketchum Kid owns Matt the OC, and I shall eventually list the owners of the others.**

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It was astounding, it really was. Cerulean had been having a heat wave for the past week, and people were staying indoors instead of going out. Unfortunately, Alex had to train her pokemon for the gym, and could not stay inside like all the other lucky trainers. An upside is that Matt was actually leaving her alone, instead of following her around like a lost puppy. Truly, he was funny, but it got annoying after the fourth day. The free time was now spent training her now evolved Ivysaur, and getting ready to take on Misty. A small lake on the edge of Cerulean was the perfect place for their training too, since there were many Magikarp and Goldeen in the shallow waters.

"Alright Ivysaur, are you ready?" Turning to his trainer, Ivysaur nodded it's head, a determined look on his face. Shifting slightly, the two waited a moment, and then Alex threw some pokefood out over the lake. A moment later, a group of Goldeen threw themselves into the air, their mouths open as they all attempted to catch the food.

"Now Ivysaur, use razor leaf!" Snapping to attention, Ivysaur shook the plant on his back, and small razor sharp leaves shot out from the base. Two of the Goldeen were hit, and gave small sputters as they fell back into the water. The remaining three dove back under the surface, disappearing in the dark waters. Grinning to herself, Alex stooped down and patted Bulbasaur on the head.

"Nice job, you KO'd them." Ivysaur closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the attention for a moment. They had been working long and hard for the past four days, training to get him powerful enough to take on Misty. Butterfree was also going to be used, but he didn't have any super-effective attacks, so he was mainly there to put the to sleep using sleep powder. Both of their attacks had been changed around, so that Ivysaur now knew razor leaf, take down, poison powder, and vine whip, while Butterfree knew psybeam, sleep powder, gust, and whirlwind. Mankey had been training as well, and now knew seismic toss, fury swipes, karate chop, and low kick.

"Alright, take a break for now, we'll continue in a little while." Ivysaur nodded, and then ambled over to the lake's edge and bent down to sip at the cool water. The heat was sweltering, but training at a lake had it's bonuses, since the air around here was cooler than in the city. There were also a lot of trees, which provided a decent amount of shade for the four of them. Butterfree and Mankey were in their pokeballs, having trained earlier in the morning. Mankey was actually letting go of most of her dislike for Alex, and would now allow the girl to pick her up and carry her, but only if she was tired. The poor monkey had to hold onto at least a little of her pride, and being carried around 24/7 would be humiliating. Alex understood for the most part, and did not push the subject.

Having drank a decent amount of water, Ivysaur turned and walked slowly over to a weeping willow. Alex had set up a small rest area, with a blanket spread on the ground for comfort, and a bowl of pokefood for Ivysaur if he got hungry. Crouching down, Ivysaur ate a few mouthfuls of the food, and then turned to look at Alex. She had taken off the bandanna, and her long hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. Her gloves were laying on the blanket, and she was staring off into space as she slowly ate a muffin she had taken along from breakfast that morning. A bottle of water was laying against her leg, the cap unopened. There was a thoughtful look in her eyes as she stared at the lake, her head tilted to the side. Wondering what was on her mind, Ivysaur leaned over and nudged his nose against her leg.

"Wha?" Alex turned to Ivysaur with a dazed look on her face. For a moment, she just stared, but when Ivysaur glanced at the lake and back at her, she got the message.

"Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking I might catch one of the Magikarp; a Gyarados would be a really strong water pokemon..." Ivysaur half shrugged his shoulder. His trainer was always concerned with catching new pokemon. To be honest, Ivysaur much preferred the thought of something more elegant, like a Lapras. A Lapras would be a good pokemon for Alex, they were strong and caring, and certainly didn't have anger issues like Gyarados do. If Alex was looking more for intimidation though, a Tentacruel, Polywrath, or Golduck would still be good, even if Gyarados was easily one of the scariest water pokemon there was. It was hard to imagine Alex with any pokemon that was too vicious looking.

"Hm, maybe I'll wait for a little while to catch a water pokemon. After all, the next gym is electric type...we're going to need a ground type I think. Isn't that Diglett Cave over in Vermilion? I think catching a Diglett would be our best option there..." Alex once again zoned out, no doubt to think on her plans for the next gym. She was already think about her third badge, and she hadn't even won her second yet. Ivysaur smirked slightly, and settled down into a more comfortable position. He had one determined trainer, and he knew that there was nothing in the world that would stop her once she set her eyes on something. Closing his eyes, Ivysaur enjoyed the humid air against his skin, and the quiet calm of the forest around him. A moment later, he slipped into a light sleep as he felt Alex lean against the tree beside him.

-_-_-_-Gary's POV-_-_-_-

Tilting his head slightly, Gary examined Alex and Ivysaur as they napped under the tree. He wasn't entirely sure why seeing her talk with that other boy had bugged him so much, but it did. If there was one thing Gary Oak didn't like, it was when something was bothering him and he couldn't get it to leave him alone. Alex Birch was one of those things; he couldn't seem to get the image of her with that boy out of his head, and it was frustrating. Gary let his shoulders slump and a scowl overcome his face as he was once again tortured with the image.

"She's starting to get annoying." Wartortle, who had been standing beside his trainer obediently, glanced up as Gary muttered to himself. He could tell his trainer had an attraction to the female, but was unwilling to admit it. Heck, as far as his trainer was concerned the girl was nothing but a nuisance. Maybe the other trainer being around her would make Gary wake up to his feelings. If not, it was his problem, and there was really nothing Wartortle could do about it. Looking back up at Gary once more, Wartortle smirked in amusement at the frustrated expression on the boy's face. Oh yes, the girl was different in the fact that she didn't fall all over Gary like the others did. Keeping his eyes locked on his trainer, Wartortle shook his head in irritation. Gary however, saw him, and looked down at the turtle standing beside him.

"What the heck is that look for?" Wartortle rolled his eyes, and then turned and started walking out from their spot behind the bushes. Gary's eyes widened as he saw his pokemon heading directly for the sleeping duo, and he darted after him as quietly as possible.

"Where the heck are you going?!" Forced to whisper, lest he wake the sleeping pair, Gary's anger was lost to Wartortle. Instead, the pokemon continued over to the young trainer and her starter, intent on waking them. Coming up beside her, Wartortle examined Alex for a moment, and then reached forward and grabbed the sleeve of her shirt and started to tug. At first there was no reaction, and then Alex muttered something, and tried to shift away from the annoying tugging. Not one to be denied, Wartortle started tugging harder, a determined look coming onto his face. Gary could only watch in shock as his pokemon continued it's attempts to wake the other trainer. Finding it's efforts useless, Wartortle did the only thing it could think of to wake Alex. Stepping back some, Wartortle sucked in a breath and shot a weak stream of water at the napping girl. Once the frigid liquid touched her skin, Alex jumped up with a shriek, her eyes snapping open. Ivysaur was woken up by the sudden commotion, and jumped to it's feet in front of his trainer, looking around blearily.

"What the heck Oak?! Why did you spray me with water?!" Gary flinched slightly at the yelling, before responding to the verbal attack.

"It wasn't me; Wartortle was the one who woke you up!"

"Well he's your pokemon isn't he?!"

"Yeah, and?!"

"Control him better!"

"That's rich, coming from someone who's pokemon hates them!"

"What, are you stalking me Oak?!"

"Why the heck would I do that?!"

"How do you know about my trouble controlling Mankey then?!"

"Well it's pretty obvious, since you're such a pathetic trainer!"

"Oh really?! I'm going to make you take those words back Oak!"

"Bring it on!" Wartortle and Ivysaur watched the screaming match in disbelief. Their trainers were so immature sometimes, this being a prime example. Hearing the obvious battle challenge, the two glanced at each other, resignation in their eyes. Really, it was sad how stubbourn these two were around each other. Sighing, the two walked to their respective trainers and took their places in front of them. Gary and Alex were glaring at each other over their pokemon, their eyes throwing sparks and daggers. With one last glare at each other, the battle began.

"Wartortle, use water gun!" Wartortle sucked in a breath, much like before, only the stream of water he shot out was much more powerful this time around.

"Ivysaur, dodge and use vine whip!" Jumping to the left, Ivysayr narrowly avoided the large blast of water that hit the ground he was standing on not a moment before. After he landed, his vines extended from the bulb's base, and shot out toward Wartortle. The water pokemon dodged by pulling himself into his shell, so the vines smacked against it harmlessly.

"Wartortle, rapid spin!" On command, Wartortle's shell started spinning. It went fast and faster, until it was nothing but a blur on the ground. Then, it shout out toward Ivysaur, who's eyes widened in shock as it collided with his side.

"Ivysaur, knock it away with your vines!" Pulling his vines toward him, Ivysaur looped them under the spinning shell and heaved. Wartortle gave a cry of shock as he flew through the air, eventually landing at the base of a nearby tree. Groaning slightly in pain, as he had banged his head on impact, Wartortle stood shakily with a hand against the tree.

"Use razor leaf Ivysaur!" Snapping his head up, the turtle watched in fear as the small projectiles came at him quickly. He looked about in a panic, looking for an escape route, but found none. The group of leaves hit him suddenly, making him give a cry of pained shock at the sudden attack.

"Wartortle, withdraw!" Nodding his head slightly, Wartortle went back into his shell. What few leaves remained bounced off the hard shell uselessly and fell to the ground. Alex growled in frustration, but smirked none the less; most of the leaves had hit, which meant a large amount of damage had to have been done.

"Alright Wartortle, use rapid spin again!"

"Dodge it Ivysaur!" Pulling in his vines once more, Ivysaur placed them on the ground and used to throw himself up into the air. Wartortle bounced off the tree behind him, missing him completely. Unfortunately, he also used the momentum from the bounce to aim himself in Ivysaur's direction, and his the grass type from behind. Ivysaur gave a cry of pain, and hit the ground hard. He struggled to his feet, a determined look on his face as he glared at Wartortle, who was watching him mockingly.

"Ivysaur, use poison powder!" Gary's eyes widened, and he watched in slight shock as a stream of purple dust shot out of Ivysaur's bulb and toward Wartortle. The water type attempted to squirm away, but the dust was all around him, and landing on his skin. Wartortle cried out as a stab of pain emerged in his chest, making him fall to one knee. Ivysaur watched him smugly, his crimson eyes gleaming in the light.

"Wartortle, get up and use rapid spin, try to get the powder off!" Withdrawing into his shell once more, Wartortle got ready to start spinning.

"Oh no you don't! Ivysaur, grab the shell with your vines!" Ivysaur shot his vines out, and latched on to the shell with a firm hold. He had looped the vines through the holes for Wartortle's arms and legs, and was holding it in place, preventing it from spinning. Thinking he had won, Ivysaur grinned to himself. A moment later however, Ivysaur gave a cry of pain, and withdrew his vines close to himself. On one of the vines, there was a red area, with a set of teeth marks at the center; Wartortle had bit him.

"Alright Wartortle, let's finish them with rapid spin!"

"Ivysaur, use take down!" The two pokemon got ready to attack. Launching out at each other, they both were confident they would come out the victor. They collided at the middle of the field, and fell down into a large patch of dirt, raising a cloud of dust. Both trainers watched the dust settle anxiously, eager to know who had won the fight. Finally when they could see, they both gaped openly at the sight before them: Ivysaur and Wartortle were both fainted. Turning to look at each other, Gary and Alex shared a surprised look, that quickly turned into a glare.

"Wartortle clearly fainted first, he had more damage."

"No way! Wartortle is tough, and your Ivysaur is weak, Ivysaur fainted first!"

"Wartortle!"

"Ivysaur!"

"Wartortle!"

"Ivysaur!"

"WARTORTLE!"

"IVYSAUR!"

The two glared at each other hatefully, their frustration clear on their faces. Deciding she had had enough of Gary, Alex turned and walked over to her Ivysaur. His eyes were shut, and he was slumped over on his side, with a large bump clear on his head. Alex smiled slightly, and pulled his pokeball from her belt, returning her faithful companion. A red light to her left told her Gary was returning his pokemon as well, but she ignored it and stood up. Walking over to the tree she had been resting under, she pulled on her backpack and secured the straps. Turning away from her spot, she started to walk through the woods quickly, intent on leaving the egotistical Oak behind.

"Hey..." Alex stopped at the call, and debated on whether she should turn around or not. Deciding there wasn't really any way she could ignore it, she sighed, rolled her eyes, and turned to her rival.

"What?" Gary was looking at her with a blank expression on his face. His shoulder were squared, and his posture tense. A moment later however, he relaxed, and his shoulders slumped. Giving a slight frown, he looked Alex in the eye, and unwilling look on his face.

"I guess...I guess your Ivysaur isn't that bad, you know, since it tied with my Wartortle..." Gary glanced up to see a surprised look on Alex's face. Running the compliment through her brain, Alex smiled at Gary for the first time since they left Pallet Town. Seeing her smile, Gary began to shake his head, a look of panic clear on his face.

"But that doesn't mean it's good! I mean, it's still pretty weak, you know for an Ivysaur...it should have been able to faint my Wartortle right away with razor leaf, but it didn't!" Alex only shook her head, the smile still on her face. Maybe Gary Oak wasn't so much of a jerk after all; he was just so used to getting his way, he just didn't know how to act otherwise. Alex's smile grew, and she let out a quiet giggle. Gary stopped his rambling on how he was still better, and looked at Alex with irritation.

"What the heck are you laughing about?!" Ignoring his demands, Alex turned and started to walk back to Cerulean, the smile still present on her face. Maybe she could put up the effort to get along with Gary; he just needed someone to teach him to be less arrogant. If she could do that, heck, she might even start to enjoy his company. Stopping in her tracks, Alex ran that thought through her head once more. A moment later she snorted, amusement clear on her face.

"Fat chance with that." Giggling once more, she continued on, listening to Gary still protesting as he followed her back to the city. She tilted her head for a moment, simply listening to him whine. He was like a little child that needed to learn some manners...she liked little kids. Turning to look at him, she saw the childish pout on his feature, that promptly dissappeared when he saw her looking. Maybe there wasn't so little of her chance enjoying Gary's company...only if he lost some of his attitude though. Smirking to herself, Alex turned and ran toward the City, leaving a protesting Gary behind.

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**Okay, there you go. Ketchum Kid, I can't email or PM you unless you give me your email. Your review is just a readers, not a members, so I can't respond to your question. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll write her battle with Misty next. Ciao!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back from visiting my Grandpa! He fell and broke his hip in his nursing home (really, I thought they were supposed to prevent this kind of stuff...) so we went and saw him in the hospital. Woo Hoo 16 reviews! Anyway, thanks for the awesome support guys, and let me get on with the tale:**

**PS: I'm using Daisy, Violet, and Lily as the gym leaders here, since Misty doesn't take over for a while yet. Their pokemon are Goldeen, Shelder, and Seaking, since Seel isn't used in the gym until it evolves later on. And, this is before they started giving away badges, since it takes Gary and two others (Alex being one) beating them to make them give up battling the trainers.**

**Disclaimer: You know it already! Matt = Ketchum Kid's**

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The Cerulean City gym reminded Alex of a giant carousel. Vertical pink and yellow stripes on a giant dome, blue and white swirled columns, wave decorations, and a giant Dewgon...oh yes, this was an overdone eye-sore of a carousel knock-off. Glass windows and doors reflected the light of a noon sun as Alex drew closer to the building. It had a nice kept lawn, that was for sure, since every blade of grass was perfectly cut. Shrugging her shoulders, Alex turned and walked up to the doors of the gym. Matt was coming later on in the day, after Alex. His excuse was that he wanted to give them time to rest after she 'wiped the floor with their pathetic fish'.

Just as she reached the door, the sounds of cheering reached her ears. Confused, Alex pushed the door open and walked inside. The inside of the gym looked similar to the lobby of an office or theater. Blue tiles were on the floor, and yellow paint on the walls. Various plants were strewn about, and pictures hung at different places. A long hallway was on the other side of the lobby, leading down toward the back of the gym, where the cheers were echoing from. Walking along, her eyes went from left to right, examining various pictures of water pokemon on the walls. Eventually she came upon a set of open double doors, and glanced into the room.

The lights were off, and a large above ground pool was lit up in the center of the room. Inside the tank were dozens of water pokemon, mostly Goldeen and Shelder, but a Seaking and Seel were visable too. There was also a girl in a mermaid costum in the tank. Her purple hair was floating about in the water, and her brown eyes were looking out at the crowed. Seel swam up to her, and she grabbed it's fins and started to swim around with it. At the top of the tank, a pink haired girl dressed as a man was holding her hand out, and seemed to be talking to the girl in the tank. A blond girl sat at the side, the only one not dressed in costume, and was narrating what seemed to be a love story between a mermaid and a man. Alex tilted her head as she watched the show, which seemed to be reaching it's ending, since the 'mermaid' had come up to speak with the man as well. She had no real care for whatever this was, she was here for a battle. Glancing around, her eye caught an empty chair, and Alex walked over and sat down, settling in to wait for the end.

A sudden roar of applause woke Alex from the light sleep she had fallen into. Everyone around her had stood, and was clapping their hands vigorously. Flashing were going off, with the clicking sound of camera shutters. Standing up, Alex stretched herself with a yawn. People started to file by here, and the lights of the gym came on in a sudden blinding flash. Rubbing the stars from her eyes, Alex looked up and around. All three of the girls from before were on the ground at the base of the tank, talking excitedly. Nodding to herself, Alex walked out into the aisle, and down the steps toward the tank. Jumping the rail that prevented people from entering the lower gym area, Alex walked over to the three girls. The blond seemed to notice her first, and pointed her out to the other two. It was the red-head that spoke to her first though, as soon as she was in ear shot.

"We don't give autographs sweety, sorry." Alex stopped and looked at her like she had three heads.

"I'm not here for an autograph." The sisters seemed surprised, and it was the purple haired one that spoke up next.

"Then why are you here?" Looking around, Alex noticed many of the pokemon in the pool had disappeared, and only a Goldeen, a Shelder, Seaking, and Seel remained. Turning back to the sisters, Alex pulled one of her pokeballs off her belt.

"I'm here for a battle, I want my Cascade Badge." The sisters turned to each other and started whispering amongst themselves. Every few seconds they would look up at her and then continue their discussion. After nearly five minutes of this, Alex was growing annoyed. Just as she was about to interrupt however, the three broke apart, and the blond stepped forward.

"Alright, like, my name is Daisy, and you'll be battling me for your badge." Alex nodded, and jumped slightly as the tank beside her started to lower back into the floor. Daisy pulled out three pokeballs and returned Shellder, Goldeen, and Seaking, while Seel jumped out of the tank and made his way over to the four. The purple and pink haired sisters walked over to the sidelines, sitting on chairs to watch the battle. Daisy walked over to a set of large floats and started to push. Being made of a light material they easily slid into the pool with a splash, and she motioned for Alex to step on one while she got on the other. Getting on, Alex froze as the float rocked slightly, but then settled in place.

"Are you like, ready?" Alex felt her left eye twitch slightly. Her opponent's habit of adding 'like' to every sentence was annoying, and made her sound like an air head. Giving a sigh, she nodded to Daisy, who pulled out one of the three pokeballs she had returned her pokemon to. After the light faded, the Shellder was left in it's place, and Alex looked it over carefully. She had made a plan to use Butterfree first, so she wouldn't have to tire out her Ivysaur and risk it fainting half-way through the battle. Nodding to herself, Alex tossed Butterfree's pokeball into the air. The butterfly emerged with a joyful cry, and began circling around Alex in an eager fashion.

"Calm down Butterfree, we have a battle to win." Acknowledging his trainer, Butterfree came to a stop in front of her, flapping his wings to keep in the air. The small clam pokemon across from them was looking at Butterfree curiously, perhaps wondering if he was insane. Daisy only looked on in slight amusement, and then nodded to the pink haired girl, who stepped up to the side of the pool and rose both arms.

"This is a three on three pokemon battle between Daisy of the Cerulean gym and...hey, what's your name?" Alex had to resist the urge to just let herself faceplant into the ground at the redhead's question.

"My name is Alex." The girl nodded, but continued her inquiry.

"And where are you from?" Twitching her eye once more, she resisted the urge to throw Butterfree's pokeball at the girl's head.

"I'm from Littleroot..." All three of the girls blinked, and looked at each other in confusion.

"Littleroot...where the heck is that? Is it some town that's too small to be documented or something?" Alex balled her fist at the un-intentional insult.

"It's in Hoenn!" The girls turned to Alex with blank looks. Never mind Daisy sounding like an airhead, they were airheads.

"Like, what's Hoenn?" Smacking her hand to her forehead, Alex sighed. The three continued to question each other on the whereabouts of her home with one stupid question after another. Finding the ramblings annoying, Alex gave a cry of exasperation.

"Are you going to play stupid all day or are we going to battle?!" Daisy got an insulted look on her face, while the other two girls glared evilly at Alex.

"There's like, no need to yell...you could have just asked us to continue nicely." Alex groaned in frustration as the two nodded along to the blonds words. Soon the pink haired one seemed to get over her anger, and once again rose her arms.

"This is a three on three pokemon battle between Daisy of Cerulean gym and Alex of Littleroot for the Cascade badge. The rules are everything goes, begin." Alex grinned to herself as the pink haired girl's arms fell, and snapped her eyes to her opponent.

"Butterfree, use gust!" Butterfree rose up into the air and started to flap his wings quickly. Soon, a large rush of wind flew towards Shellder, and the little clam was picked up and thrown back into the side of the tank. It gave a cry of pain upon impact, but quickly dove underwater to escape another attack.

"Shellder like, use bubble!" Unable to see his opponent, Butterfree kept his guard up and waited for the attack that was sure to come. The water was calm, but dark as well, so the water pokemon could be anywhere. A sudden burst of water under him turned out to be the small clam throwing itself into the air, and aiming a small stream of bubbles his way.

"Butterfree, dodge and use gust again!" Quickly flying to the left, Butterfree once again sent the current of air Shellder's way, sending the water pokemon flying into the wall of the gym this time. A loud 'thump' echoed through the gym at Shellder's impact, and the small clam fell down the wall to the floor weakly. It's tongue flopped around for a moment, and then stilled as it gave into exhaustion and fainted.

"Like, no fair!" Daisy returned Shellder angrily, and then tossed the second pokeball into the air. This time Goldeen emerged, and it quickly dove underwater and out of Butterfree's sight. Alex smirked as she mentally eliminated Shellder from the list; that was surprisingly easy, especially for the second gym.

"Goldeen, like use horn attack!" Without hesitation, the small fish jumped from the water, and rammed it's horn into Butterfree's side viciously. Butterfree gave a cry of pain, but continued to flutter it's wings to stay in the air.

"Butterfree quick, before it disappears, use psybeam!" Nodding, Butterfree's eyes lit up with a brilliant rainbow light. Taking aim at the fish, which was still at the top of the water, watching him, Butterfree shot a beam of the rainbow light in it's direction. The beam hit Goldeen, who sputtered in pain before diving into the water once more. Butterfree panted lightly, and searched the water for any sign of the orange and white fish. A small flicker of movement made Butterfree snap it's eyes to the water under Daisy's float, but there was nothing there.

"Goldeen, use water gun!" Goldeen jumped out of the water once again, and shot a stream of water at Butterfree. Dodging the attack, Butterfree looked to Alex for orders.

"Use sleep powder, knock it out!" Turning back to Goldeen, Butterfree flapped his wings, making a wave of green dust flutter down onto the water. Goldeen dived back under before it could get covered, and Butterfree was left to search for it once more.

"Quick Goldeen, use peck!"

"Butterfree, dodge it, quick!" Butterfree darted up in the air, but felt Goldeen's horn graze his wing. It wasn't enough damage to faint him, but it still hurt, especially since the attack was super effective. Yet again, Goldeen fell back into the pool, but this time, it floated back up to the surface on it's side. Daisy looked at it in shocked confusion, but then realized something she had failed to. The dust from sleep powder was floating on the surface of the pool, so between jumping up to attack, and falling back into the pool, Goldeen must have gotten some on it. Alex saw her chance, and ginned to herself in excitement.

"Butterfree, use psybeam again!" Gathering his energy once more, Butterfree shot the psychic attack at the sleeping fish. Goldeen made no motion of feeling the attack, since it was fast asleep.

"Goldeen, like wake up!" Unable to hear it's trainer's orders, Goldeen slept on.

"Alright Butterfree, finish it off with a gust." Butterfree looped in the air happily, and then started to flap his wings once more. Goldeen was thrown against the side of the tank with the powerful wind, making it's eyes snap open as it sputtered, and then fainted.

"Like, no way! That's like, so not fair!" Alex jumped up and down eagerly, throwing her arms up in the air. Butterfree floated down to his trainer, and enjoyed the hug she pulled him into in her happiness. They only had one more pokemon to go, and then they would win the Cascade Badge.

"Alright Butterfree, get ready, this is the last one." Butterfree rose back up, and gave a cry of agreement. Alex had her hand out in a fist, and was looking at Daisy eagerly. Daisy herself was scowling slightly as she pulled out her last pokeball and tossed it into the air. A giant orange and black fish with white fins emerged, and floated in front of Daisy calmly.

"Seaking, like use peck!" Seaking quickly dived under the water, much like Goldeen and dissappeared into the darkness.

"When you see it Butterfree, use psybeam!" Butterfree didn't respond, too absorbed in looking for the Seaking. Before Butterfree could react, Seaking burst from the water and hit him head on, right in the center of his chest. The bug cried out in shock and pain, and fell to the water under it. He hated fainted from the super effective attack, and was floating on the pool top.

"Butterfree, no!" Alex looked at him in shock. It might not be a good match up, but for him to suddenly faint like that was shocking. Numbly pulling out his ball, Alex returned her faithful friend. Turning her attention to Seaking, she glared at it hatefully, while it just looked back at her calmly. Growling to herself, Alex grabbed Ivysaur's pokeball and tossed it up. The beam of light receded, leaving Ivysaur standing on the float in front of her. He looked around curiously, and turned to Alex with a questioning look.

"Butterfree fainted the first two, you just have to deal with Seaking. Be careful though, he's pretty fast, and powerful." Ivysaur nodded his head, and turned his attention to the pool. Seaking was still floating at the top of the water, watching Ivysaur with great interest.

"Seaking, like use water gun!" Seaking dove underwater, and then shot up and out, aiming a stream of water right at Ivysaur.

"Dodge and use razor leaf!" Dodging as best he could on such a confined space, Ivysaur shot his leaves out at the fish, only managing to lightly graze it as it dove back into the pool. Ivysaur growled to himself in frustration, and kept his eyes centered on the middle of the pool. He knew if he searched for Seaking, he might miss a sign that would tell him where it would attack next.

"Seaking, use horn attack!" Ivysaur tensed slightly, but still kept his eyes centered. A flicker of movement to his left made him snap around, and he growled as he saw a shadow swim under their float.

"When it comes up, use vine whip Ivysaur." Ivysaur looked forward once more, waiting for any sign to register in his peripheral vision. The small rush of water emerging from under the right side of the float caught his attention, and he once again watched the barely distinguishable shadow in the water. It saw in front of the float, and then stilled for a moment. Tensing up, Ivysaur brought out his vines and got ready to strike. A moment later, the water in front of them exploded as Seaking jumped out, heading straight for Ivysaur. Not even stopping to aim, Ivysaur whipped his vines forward, and managed to catch Seaking right across the face, making the fish veer to right and fall back into the water with a loud 'splash'.

"Like, no way! How did he do that?!" Seaking emerged in front of Daisy once more, only with a bright red line across his face and his eyes glaring hatefully at Ivysaur. Alex smirked in happiness, and bent down to pat Ivysaur on the head. Ivysaur leaned his head back slightly, but did not close his eyes, instead he kept them locked on Seaking, who was still glaring.

"Fine, like Seaking, use peck!" Ivysaur hopped forward to the front of the float as Seaking disappeared under the water yet again. Taking the same course of action as before, Ivysaur stared at the center of the pool, waiting for the shadow to re-appear. When the water behind them exploded, and Seaking flew out and rammed his horn into Ivysaur, however, this plan proved to be useless. Ivysaur cried out in shock as the attack hit, and Seaking dove back under the water.

"Ivysaur, are you okay?" Grimacing to himself, Ivysaur nodded his head. Seaking had returned to Daisy's side, and was looking at Ivysaur smugly. Ivysaur growled at Seaking, but did not launch an attack; he trusted his trainer to do the decision making.

"Alright, like nice job Seaking," Seaking only splashed his tail mockingly, still looking Ivysaur in the eye.

"Ivysaur, I want you to jump up and use poison powder." Looking at his trainer in confusion, Ivysaur extended his vines and used them to launch himself up. Shooting the purple powder from his bulb, Ivysaur watched as Seaking dove underwater to avoid the attack. After landing back on the float, Ivysaur waited patiently for his next command.

"Like, what are you doing?" Daisy looked confused as she watched Ivysaur, failing to realize she was in a familiar position as before.

"Remember what happened with Goldeen? Do you really want to risk poisoning your Seaking by having him attack again?" Daisy's eyes widened as she looked around, and she gave a cry of frustration as realized that the purple powder was indeed floating on the surface of the pool. Seaking's shadow could been seen swimming around just under the surface, avoiding the powder, but unable to attack. Looking on helplessly, Daisy tried to come up with a way to save the match, and her eyes lit up as she thought of something.

"Seaking, like just make the powder float away from you, use Flail." Seaking's shadow stopped for a moment, and then began shaking back and forth. The water above him started churning, and the poisonous dust was pushed away from him and toward the side of the pool. Alex and Ivysaur watched in frustration as their plan was ruined right before their eyes.

"Great, now like use peck!" Using the only safe spot in the pool, Seaking launched himself out and toward Ivysaur, a smug look on his face as he flew toward the grass pokemon.

"Quick Ivysaur, dodge and use take down!" Jumping to the left, Ivysaur narrowly missed getting jabbed by Seaking, who hit the float and caused it to rock dangerously. Alex stuck out her arms, trying to keep her balance and prevent herself from falling in the water. Seeaking started to flop about, trying to get back to the water and making the float rock even more. Ivysaur rushed forward, his head lowering as he closed in on the giant fish. Slamming into Seaking forcefully, Ivysaur sent it flying. Seaking sputtered as it flew, and it landed with a great 'splash'...right in the center of the poisoned area.

"Seaking, no!" Seaking came back up, but one of it's eyes was closed in pain, and it was only using it's right fin and tail to swim. Ivysaur smirked at him smugly, knowing the end of the match was coming soon. With it's injuries, Seaking would not be able to swim as fast, or aim as well.

"Like, this is getting really tiring, Seaking use horn attack!" Seaking attempted to swim forward, but stopped in the center of the pool and grimaced. The edges of it's gills were turning purple, and it was quickly spreading along it's body; Seaking had been poisoned.

"Ivysaur, finish it off with razor leaf!" Ivysaur shook his bulb, launching the leaves once more. Seaking attempted to dodge, but the poison was causing pain to wrack it's body, and it was unable to move. The leaves collided with it head on, and Seaking was knocked out, turning upside down in the water.

"Like, no way; this isn't fair!" Daisy looked on in shock as her strongest pokemon fainted, and Alex cheered out in victory. Ivysaur grinned to himself, and closed his eyes happily as Alex threw her arms about him.

"This match is over. The victor is Alex from Littleroot, who has earned her Cascade Badge." The pink haired girl lowered her arms, her face showing her surprise as well. A dazed look was on the third girl's face, who just stared ahead. All three of them had honestly expected for Daisy to win the battle. Goldeen and Shellder were really nothing to get excited about, but Seaking was their strongest pokemon, and this girl just kicked it's butt. Alex returned Ivysaur, got off the float, and approached Daisy, who had left her float as well.

"I'd like my badge now please." Daisy sighed, and motioned the Seel over to her. He flopped over eagerly, and then stuck out his tongue. There, glittering in the light, was the Cascade Badge. It was shaped like a teardrop, and it's blue surface reflected the florescent lights brightly. Alex bent down and took the badge, admiring it's surface critically. Turning back to Daisy, she smiled brightly and stuck out her hand.

"That was a really great battle, you almost had us." Daisy looked surprised, but shook Alex's hand none the less. The pink haired girl still looked dissapointed, but she gave a sad smile to Alex, who nodded to her in thanks.

"You really did a number on our poor Seaking. It's going to be a while before we can use it again." Alex blinked, and then grinned apologetically.

"Hehe, sorry, I guess we got a little carried away." Daisy merely grinned, and then pointed to the two unnamed girls.

"By the way, these are my sisters Lily and Violet." Lily, the pink haired girl waved, while Violet only nodded in Alex's direction. Alex looked between the three in slight shock, comparing them to each other.

"But you guys look nothing alike!" The three laughed, and Violet finally spoke up for the second time.

"We know, blame genetics. Our little sister looks nothing like use either, well except for her eyes, they're green, like Daisy's." Alex only put her hand to her head and rubbed. Today had been extremely stressful, but at least she had her Cascade Badge to show make up for it. Looking back up at the three, Alex smiled slightly.

"I should be going, Butterfree needs a pokemon center, and Ivysaur isn't too good himself. Thank you for the battle, have a nice day." The three girls waved as Alex walked over to a door on the side, an 'exit' sign glowing red above it. When she pushed the door open, bright sunlight hit her face and she closed her eyes in appreciation. She now had her second badge, and soon she would be on her way for her third. Lt. Surge was a tough gym leader, according to a lot of people, so Alex would have to catch a ground type and train it hard if she wanted to win against him. Lifting her hand, she fisted it and grinned to herself. If she kept winning her badges at this rate, she was assured a place in the Indigo League Tournament. Feeling a sense of excitement rising up, Alex darted off onto the road toward the pokemon center. Her third badge was not far away, and she was going to win it, no matter what.

* * *

**Look; it's chapter 6! And it's up in the same day as chapter 5! I really only took like two hours on this, but it was really easy to write for some reason...oh well. Yes, the Sensational Sisters were the gym leaders, but if you think about it, they were before Misty took over. And I know Seaking had to be at least level 33, but that's why he was their strongest pokemon! Anyway, I liked the way it turned out, and I'm not changing it! So anyway, Alex will be getting two pokemon in the next chapter (you know one will be Diglett), but don't complain, I really need to start building up her team! Anyway, good night everyone, and have a nice day.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I know, I'm insane. I mean, working on a third chapter in one day? Bu still, this is an important character because Alex gains one of her major pokemon in this chapter. Major as in it will become one of her signature pokemon as the story progresses. Anyway, on with the show, and MetalPrincess, yes I know, I am a writeaholic, and thanks for the compliment, and yes Gary will be in this chapter, though he's going to be getting a bit of abuse.**

**Disclaimer: Matt = Ketchum Kid's, Alex = Mine, and Charolett = MetalPrincess13's**

* * *

The journey between Cerulean and Vermilion was actually short compared to the others she had been on. Well, to be honest, it was divided into two short routes with Saffron City in between the two. But it was short none the less; Alex had only taken a day to get to Saffron City, and had loitered around for a while. It was while she was doing some training on Route 7 that she had found her fourth pokemon actually.

**_Alex grinned happily at her pokemon, who had gathered around her to enjoy lunch. By training on Rattata, Jigglypuff, and Meowth she had managed to evolve her Mankey into a Primeape at long last. As an effect of her evoloution, Primeape's personality had changed slightly, and she had let go of her hate for Alex completely. Now, the large monkey was enjoying sitting right next to her trainer, and occasionally acting up to get attention. In fact, Primeape more often than not would now steal Alex's bag and run ahead with it, forcing the young trainer to chase her pokemon for a good hour before it was returned...at least it was good exercise._**

_**Checking the soup she had been making for herself and Primeape, Alex hummed happily as she worked. Right now, she was at the top of the world; she had won her second badge two days ago, evolved Primeape this morning, and was generally happy. Deciding the soup looked done for the most part, and she and Primeape would not get food poisoning from a raw potatoes like last time, Alex pulled out two bowls and served herself and her companion. Primeape drank the soup greedily, not in the least bit caring if it were to taste odd or burnt. She had a large obsession with her trainer's cooking for some strange reason, and could never get enough of the food she made.**_

_**The four sat by chatting with each other, socializing noisly as they enjoyed their lunch. Many pokemon watched them from the trees, wondering how such a small group could make such a large ruckus. For nearly a half an hour they enjoyed the day, and then their break ended, and they were forced to start cleaning up thier things and get ready to continue on their journey. Alex and Primeape took their bowls and went looking for a place to wash them, leaving Ivysaur and Butterfree with the things at camp. Finding a stream not too far from camp, the two bent down, Primeape handing Alex her bowl and watching as her trainer cleaned out the soup remanents with water she scooped from the stream. Just as they were getting ready to leave, the bushes to their left shook, and a small pokemon stepped from within.**_

_**It looked like a small orange and black puppy, with cream fur on it's stomach, muzzle, tail, and a tuft of it on it's head. Black eyes stared at them curiously, as the puppy tilted it's head to the side. Alex squealed, and started to coo at how cute it was, and pulled out her pokedex eagerly.**_

**Growlithe, the puppy pokemon. Growlithe have extreamly loyal natures, and will remain motionless unless they are given orders by their trainer.**

**_"Aw, aren't you adorable!" Alex stuck out her hand, and went to pet the small dog. She drew __back with a shocked cry however, when it whipped it's head around and bit down on her hand harshly. Turning to both trainer and pokemon, Growlithe started to growl and bark, bearing his fangs in an attempt to scare them off. Primeape growled back at the smaller pokemon, and would have attacked it if Alex had not beaten her to the chase._**

_**"DON'T YOU DARE BARK AT ME YOU MIDGET MUTT!" Growlithe froze, his eyes opened wide in fear at the sudden noise directed his way. He stared up at Alex, who was glaring down at her angrily, holding her injured hand with her non-injured one. Sensing the danger in his situation, Growlithe turned and bolted back into the bushes, his tail between his legs and quiet whimpers coming from his throat.**_

_**"After it Primeape! I need a fire type anyway." Primeape shot off after the small dog, jumping through the trees as it ran on the forest floor below her. Alex was running along after them, crunching through the underbrush noisly. Seeing an opening as Growlithe stopped to look behind him, Primeape pounced. The young puppy yelped in shock as he was pinned to the ground, and started to squirm as he attempted to get away. Hearing her trainer approach, Primeape made her hold on the fire type more secure and waited patiently. Once Alex came into their line of sight, Growlithe started to whimper again, and stared at the trainer in obvious fear.**_

_**"Hey, calm down, we're not going to hurt you, I'm just going to catch you." Growlithe's whimpers only increased, and it renewed it's struggles to get away from Primeape, who only waited for an order patiently. Alex nodded to Primeape, who raised her hand above her head and brought it down sideways on Growlithe's skull. The small dog gave a yelp of shock, and then fainted away, as Primeape had hit a pressure point. Fumbling with only one hand, Alex pulled an empty pokeball from her bag and threw it at the now fainted pokemon. He was sucked inside, and the ball fell to the ground, the center button flashing as it shook. After four shakes, the ball stopped, and Alex stooped down to pick it up. Grinning to herself, she threw the ball up and down.**_

_**"Alright, we've got a fire pokemon now!" Primeape jumped up and down happily, enjoying the fact that her trainer was excited. The two turned and started walking, making thier way back to the bowls they had left at the stream, and then to camp. Ivysaur and Butterfree were upset when they discovered Alex's injury, but happy when they heard of their new companion. After wrapping her hand in gauze, and deciding she would get it looked at back in Saffron as they passed through to Route 6, Alex pulled on her bag and they set out back to the city.**_

Glancing down beside her, Alex held in a giggle as she saw Growlithe running back and forth between her and the grass on the side of the road. After finding out Alex wasn't out to kill him, Growlithe had warmed up to her considerably, and refused to enter his pokeball at all. Now, he was a permanent attachment to Alex's side, as he seemed to panic if the trainer was not in sight. He also had the need of at least three hours of cuddling a day from his trainer. If truth be told, it was rather endearing, but it got annoying when Growlithe pushed his way into Alex's sleeping bag at night just to cuddle with her.

Looking down at her hand, Alex heaved a sigh. It was wrapped tightly in gauze, and she could barely move it. Nurse Joy had been more than happy to help, but she also gave Alex the 'you should not have tried to pet a wild pokemon' lecture. One that her father had given her on many occasions; she just never listened to it. Shaking her head, Alex looked along the road ahead of her. There was grass on either side of her, short at first, but getting longer the farther back you looked. Far off in the distance trees were visible, but that was through a lot of tall grass, and tall grass meant a lot of wild pokemon with bad attitudes. She should know, two of her four pokemon had a bad attitude when she met them. Their attitudes might be different now, but for some reason pokemon seemed to like attacking her, and going into the grass would be putting a neon sign above her head. Yeah...she really enjoyed her life right now, and loosing it because a Ekans bit her would be absolutely humiliating.

"Grow gro" Alex turned and looked blankly at her Growlithe as it barked at a bush on the side of the road. Tilting her head, Alex watched as Growlithe slowly walked over to the bush and sniffed. A moment later, he stood and walked around the bursh, still growling faintly. The bush started to shake, and Alex could hear short yips and growls coming from the other side. Then, Growlithe came running out, another Growlithe on his tail as she ran toward Alex. Diving behind his trainer, Growlithe stuck his head out and growled at the other one. Growlithe number two only growled back, albite playfully, as it was shaking it's butt in the air and had it's tongue out the side of it's mouth.

"Growlie where did you go? I leave you alone for a minute and you disappear on me!" A girl Alex's age stumbled out of the bush. She looked up and blinked when she caught sight of Alex and the two Growlithe at her feet. Then, she trotted over and pulled the second Growlithe away slightly with a sheepish grin on her face.

"Hehe, sorry...Growlie likes to play, and I guess she saw your Growlithe and got excited." Alex looked down at Growlie, who was now sitting calmly beside her trainer. She looked back at her with a tilted head, but did not do anything. Turning back to the trainer, Alex smiled and stuck out her hand.

"It's not a problem, I think my Growlithe might have started it. My name is Alex by the way." The girl smiled and took Alex's hand in her own.

"Thanks, and my name is Charlotte, I'm from Cerulean City." Alex nodded and looked Charlotte over interestedly. Her long red hair was pulled back in a braid, with a black bandanna covering the top of her head. Green eyes much like her own matched a green hoodie tied about her waist, while a black tank top and torn light wash jeans made up the rest of her outfit. Black combat boots, a red and black hip bag, and a black backpack finished the outfit off nicely. Turning back to the girl, Alex saw she was doing the same, and Alex smirked slightly, a matching smirk coming over Charlotte's face.

"You know, I think we're going to get along just fine..." Nodding along, Charlotte motioned for Alex to start walking, and walked by her side down the road. Both of the Growlithe walked on the free side of their trainer, occasionally rushing ahead to enjoy themselves.

"So, I told you where I was from...where are you from?" Alex glanced at the girl beside her, who was watching her critically.

"Littleroot. You might not know about it..." Charlotte pulled out a guidebook and flipped through the pages quickly. Alex watched with confusion, wondering just what the girl was doing.

"Hmm...that's in Hoenn, isn't it?" Feeling her eyes light up, Alex nodded. Finally, someone who had some actual sense!

"Wow, if you're from Hoenn, what are you doing here?" Alex sighed heavily. She was always asked that question.

"I just wanted to start here....my dad said it's the region my mom started in." Charlotte tilted her head to the side slightly.

"By the way you say it, I'd say your mom isn't around anymore?" Alex shook her head. She should have been upset at the uncaring way Charolett said it, but since she really didn't remember her mom, she couldn't be.

"No, she died when I was three; a Beedrill poisoned her and she didn't get help fast enough. I really don't remember her that much, but there are pictures of her all about our house, so I know she looked just like me, even down to the smile." Charlotte nodded her head, not knowing what to say to the girl. She had both her mother and her father, so she really didn't know what to say to Alex.

"Hey, I need a traveling partner, you up for the job?" Alex turned and stared at Charolett blankly. She really didn't know the girl well, and here she was asking her to travel with her. On the other hand, she seemed really nice, and Alex could tell they would get along really well...

"Sure, I'll do it. You'll have to be ready to deal with my jerk rivals though. Matt is just a stupid jerk, and Gary's an arrogant jerk." Charlotte laughed slightly. Apparently Alex was good at attracting jerks to her. She wanted to meet these jerks, especially since they made the once calm girl become flustered, even by just thinking of them.

"I think I can handle that. All the guys in Cerulean City were egotistical jerks, so I've got some good practice down." Both girls laughed, and the Growlithe wondered just what was so funny.

"So where are we off to?" Ale xstretched her arms, and then crossed them behind her head.

"Vermillion, I need my third badge. I just got my second one three days ago." Charlotte nodded, and yawned lightly. She had just woken up before she went looking for Growlie, so she was still slightly tired.

"Me too, though I got my second badge about a week ago. I spent most of my time training my pokemon after that." Alex turned and looked at Charolett curiously.

"What kind of pokemon do you have?" Looking around, Charolett stopped and walked over to the side of the road.

"Why don't we stop and take a break and I'll show you." Alex nodded, and reached into her backpack to pull out a thin blanket. She used it for sitting on the grass more than anything, so it didn't take up too much space in her bag. Charlotte waited until Alex was sitting on the blanket, and then pulled five of the six pokeballs off her belt and tossed them into the air. There was a large flash of light which quickly faded, and then Charolett's pokemon were standing before them.

"Wow...you have six?" On the left of the group, were a male Nidoran, Growlie, who had run over and joined them, and Rattata. The small purple rat ran up to Charlotte, who picked it up in her arms. To the right were a Psyduck, Charmander, and Sandshrew, who were all watching Alex carefully. All six of the pokemon would look at Charlotte with adoration.

"Yup, Charmander is my starter, I found Growlithe injured and helped her, and I caught the other four." Alex nodded, and then stood and pulled her pokeballs off her belt.

"My team might not be as big, but It's still pretty good." Tossing all three balls into the air, Alex watched out of the corner of her eyes as Growlithe darted into the light to join the pokemon. After it faded, Alex's four pokemon stood before them, looking around cautiously. Ivysaur was at the front, with Growlithe beside him, while Primeape had run over to Alex for a hug, and Butterfree fluttered above them.

"Cool, you have a lot of evolved pokemon." Charlotte bent down and patted Ivysaur on the head. He watched the strange trainer for a moment, and then closed his eyes and enjoyed the treatment he was receiving.

" I like to train my pokemon a lot, so instead of catching a lot and just using who is strongest, I use all my pokemon and get them as strong as possible." Charlotte nodded her head absentmindedly. She was examining Alex's team curiously; Butterfree seemed to like flying around quite a bit, Primeape obviously loved her trainer, Ivysaur had settled down for a nap, and Growlithe was running about in circles. This team obviously trusted each other quite a bit for them to be so relaxed in each other's company. Turning to her own team, Charlotte smiled at her pokemon, who were watching curiously.

"Guys, this is Alex, she'll be traveling with us from now on." Charolett's pokemon all turned and called out a greeting, before running off to play. Alex was busy pulling out her pot and many ingredients, and Charolett watched her with a slightly disturbed look. As far as she knew, you didn't add hot sauce to a soup that had carrots and potatoes in it.

"Um...Alex?" When the slightly smaller girl turned to look at her, Charlotte motioned to the things about her.

"Do you know how to cook?" Alex flashed a disarming smile, and Charlotte relaxed slightly.

"Haven't a clue, but Primeape seems to like my cooking, so I cook everyday. Granted, we do seem to get sick a lot, but we get over it." Charolett's eye twitched, and she smacked a hand to her forehead. If she didn't know how to cook, than why was she? Sighing, Charlotte walked over to her new companion.

"Move over, my mom taught me how to cook. I'll be the one making meals from now on, I don't want to die young thanks." Alex huffed at the insult, but moved over none the less, and watched Charlotte as she started to put together the soup. Maybe if she watched Charlotte, she could learn how to cook, instead of just throwing together what sounded good.

-_-_-_-Later-_-_-_-

The two walked into the gates of Vermilion happily. They had been traveling since lunch, and it was almost dinner time now. People were bustling along the sidewalks, and crowding the streets, much like in Cerulean, Pewter, and Saffron. Little children were returning home with thier parents, and pokemon heading out to find their trainers. Growlie and Growlithe had gotten tired long ago, and allowed their trainers to return them to their pokeballs.

"I'm hungry!" Alex nodded wearily as Charlotte complained. She was hungry too, and right now, food sounded like a god send. Charlotte pulled out her guidebook, and flipped through the pages to find the chapter on Vermilion. There was a listing of restaurants, with them also marked on a small map above the list. Scanning the map, the two found a small Chinese place, and agreed they would go there; food was food, and they didn't care if they liked it or not. Closing the book, the two darted down the streets to where it was marked, their stomachs rumbling in complaint.

"Food!" They quickly entered, and were shown to a table by a waiter. The drinks and food on the way, the two sat back and talked quietly.

"So, how do you plan to beat Lt. Surge?" Alex fidgeted slightly, and then calmed.

"I'm going out to Diglett Cave tomorrow morning and catching a Diglett, then training it to a Dugtrio."

"You're going to have to train it a lot to get it powerful enough to take on Lt. Surge's Raichu." Alex nodded wearily. Lt. Surge only had one pokemon: a very powerful Raichu. If she planned to make this work, she would need to train her Diglett a lot. The food came at that moment, and the two dropped the subject in favour of eating. Later on they left, heading for the pokemon center so they could have Nurse Joy heal their pokemon and they could get a room to sleep in.

-_-_-_-The next day-_-_-_-

Diglett Cave was dark, but not nearly as dark as had been. There was no Zubat here either, so Alex was more than happy to do down into the caverns to search for the small ground type she needed. Ivysaur and Butterfree were the only ones she had brought with her, since Growlithe was weak against ground types, and Primeape was too lazy to come. She left the two in the care of Charolett, who had gone off to train on route 11. By mid-day she would have her fifth pokemon, and soon she would have her Thunder Badge. Grinning to herself, Alex continued walking along lazily.

Nearly two hours later, Alex was tugging on her hair in frustration. She hadn't run into a single Diglett, the entire time she was down here, and she was getting mad. Her foot scuffed on the ground as she walked, looking along carefully for any sign of the small ground type. So far, nothing, but she would not give up until she had one. Lowering her flashlight, which was only there to add a bit more light so she could see better, Alex sighed. Wanting a rest, she slumped to the floor and put her head against the wall. Closing her eyes, she relaxed slightly, and just listened to the sounds of the cave about her. For a time, nothing seemed out of the usual, water dripped in the distance, and the cave echoed it's silence back to her. Then, close by, the sound of something coming up from under the dirt made her eyes open.

"Diglett dig, diglett dig." Alex quickly jumped to her feet and turned to look about her. As far as she could tell, there were at least three, if the multi-voiced call was any indication.

"Trio trio trio." Alex's eyes widened and she froze. A Dugtrio was somewhere in this cave as well, and talking with the three Diglett. Picking up the flashlight she had dropped, Alex crept along the cave quietly as possible. Stopping for a moment, she pulled out Ivysaur's pokeball and released her faithful pokemon. He looked about confused, and glanced at her with a questioning look. She merely put her finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow her, and then continued down the tunnels. Turning a corner, they came upon a Dugtrio, with three Diglett in front of it. They seemed to be talking, the Diglett chirping at Dugtrio, who grumbled back.

"Use razor leaf Ivysaur." Ivysaur nodded, at then shook his bulb. Dozens of the small leaves shot forward toward the unsuspecting ground types. Two of the Diglett were hit, one fainting instantly while the other was injured. All three remaining pokemon panicked, and then dug their way underground, the Diglett chirping loudly, while Dugtrio growled. Walking over, Alex pulled out a pokeball and tossed it at the fainted Diglett, who was pulled inside. The ball shook and flashed, but stilled soon after, and Alex bent down to pick it up.

"That was surprisingly easy, I expected to actually put up a fight." Just as Alex finished her sentence, the entire cave started to rumble. Looking up, the two whipped their heads around, wondering what was going on. The sound of large portions of earth being moved came from behind them, and they whipped around. In front of them, where dozens of Diglett and Dugtrio, all glaring at the duo angrily and growling.

"Uh-oh...this isn't good." Backing up slowly, Ivysaur and Alex started to panic as the group followed them, the growls continuing.

"Uh, Ivysaur?" Ivysaur turned half his attention to his trainer, the other half remaining on the group in front of him. Alex was watching the group in obvious anxiety, and her hands were shaking as they clutched Diglett's pokeball.

"Ivy?"

"Run like you have never run before." Ivysaur nodded, and the two whipped around and bolted. The Diglett and Dugtrio could be heard following them, calling out angrily as they rushed the duo. Running in terror, Alex and Ivysaur took any twist and turn they came across, not really concerned with where they were going, only hoping to get away. Panting lightly, Ivysaur tried to keep up with his trainer, but was quickly falling behind. She seemed to notice, and quickly pulled out his pokeball and returned him over her shoulder, not really looking back to aim. After Ivysaur's safety was assured, she clipped the pokeball to her belt and kept running, hearing the murderous group still following her.

A beam of light ahead of her raised her hopes, and she ran faster as she approached it. She entered the room, and sighed in reliefe as she saw the ladder to the surface. Grabbing one of the rungs, she quickly got on and started climbing. The Diglett and Dugtrio entered the room, and shrieked in anger as they realized she was escaping. They quickly burrowed underground, intent on reaching the top before her so they could continue their chase on the surface. Once she made it to the upper cave, Alex bolted out and toward the woods, not looking back at the cave behind her. Rumbling could be heard behind her, and Alex whimpered as she ran faster. Reaching a tree, she collapsed against it and watched as the Diglett and Dugtrio grew closer, and she did the only thing she could: scream.

"Weepingbell, use vine whip! Poliwhirl, you use bubblebeam!"

"Water gun psyduck!"

A sudden rush of water and bubbles hit the group, making many of them retreat, while vines smacked the ones refusing to leave. Soon, all of the pokemon retreated, and Alex was left against the tree panting.

"Do we want to know?" Whipping around, Alex grinned sheepishly as she saw Charlotte and Matt standing before her with amused grins on their faces.

"Hehe, not really..." The two sighed, but Matt stooped down and pulled her up from the ground. He put his arm around her waist and wrapped the other around his shoulder and started to carry her toward the town.

"I can walk on my own; I may be tired, but I'm not handicapped." Shrugging his shoulders, Matt proceeded to drop Alex, making her hit the ground on her butt.

"Ow, hey!" Her only response was a laugh, and Matt running ahead of them. Charlotte giggled, and pulled Alex up off the ground. Pouting to herself, Alex glanced between the two.

"Why are you two together?" Charlotte shrugged.

"We were battling, but then we heard the noise you were making and ran off to save you." Huffing to herself, Alex walked ahead of Charlotte, who only laughed at her anger. There was a flash of light, and soon Growlithe was walking next to Alex, his nose in the air as he went. He was obviously just going along with his trainer, and didn't even care to figure out what was going on. Charlotte gave Alex back Growlithe and Primeape's pokeballs, a grin still on her face.

"So did you get your Diglett, or did they chase you before you got the chance?" Pulling off a pokeball from her belt, Alex held it up for Charolett to see.

"Got it, thought I think that's what made them angry, or it was the fact that I attacked them unexpectedly." Charlotte sighed and shook her head. Alex smirked, and then looked forward once more. Soon they were back in Vermilion, and Alex was relieved to see the pokemon center nearby. Entering the building, she dropped off her pokeballs and left Growlithe, and went to sit on a couch and close her eyes.

"You actually made it here in good time; I'm surprised." Alex felt herself flinch at the superior tone in Gary's voice. Just because she was going to put up the effort to get along with Gary didn't mean she was going to be dealing with his 'I'm better than you' attitude. Snapping her eyes open, Alex sneered slightly at Gary, who was watching her with a smirk.

"Oh go jump off a cliff Oak, I'm not in the mood for you right now." Gary scoffed, and then smirked once more.

"Really, I would, but there are no cliffs around for me to jump off, sorry." Alex growled, and then turned in her seat so she was facing away from Gary.

"That's real mature Alex; what's the matter, finally realized you're not good enough to look at me?" Alex whipped back around and let her hand fly. Just as it was about to connect with Gary's cheek, he grabbed her wrist with his own. His eyes were narrowed slightly, and his smirk had turned into a frown.

"Let go of me so I can beat you." Gary scoffed, but let go of her wrist and stepped out of her reach.

"What the heck is with you? Normally you'll just insult me back, what's with the sudden attitude charge?" Alex shook her head and slumped onto the couch behind her.

"I'm just not in the mood right now Oak, so take your attitude and your possy and go annoy someone else for a while." Gary seemed surprised, but smirked once more.

"But it's more fun to annoy you." Alex groaned out in frustration and covered her eyes with her hands. Why did Gary have to be so annoying? Really, what god did she piss off enough for them to set Gary on her?

"Huh? Oh hey little guy." Lowering her hands, Alex peeked over her fingers at who Gary was talking to. She was met with the sight of a very familiar Growlithe, who was staring at her mischievously. Gary had bent down, and was now sticking his hand out to pet the small fire dog.

"Oak, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Gary only gave Alex a dismissive look, and turned back to the small pokemon.

"Oh be quiet, what would you know?" Gary stuck out his hand once more, and went to pet Growlithe, who watched the hand evilly. Just as it was about to touch his fur, he whipped around and chomped down on Gary's hand hard, refusing to let go. Gary let out a cry of pain, and tried to shake the small dog off.

"I know my Growlithe bites anyone he doesn't like..."

"Get it off me! Ow, stop it! Nurse Joy, help!" Nurse Joy came running over with a Chansey in tow. Various trainers in the pokemon center were watching the scene, and many were laughing as they saw Gary try to shake Growlithe off. Charlotte and Matt had come over, and were now watching with great amusement as Nurse Joy tried to pull Growlithe from Gary.

"Alright Growlithe, let him go." Obeying his trainer, Growlithe surrendered Gary's hand, and hopped up onto Alex's lap. Nurse Joy quickly grabbed the injured hand, and proceeded to clean and wrap it. Luckily for Gary, the bite wounds were not too bad, and would only take a few days to heal. Alex stroked Growlithe's fur softly, and the puppy gave out small contented growls as he closed his eyes. He had sensed his trainer's anger from across the room, waiting on the cart to be healed, and had come rushing over to the rescue. Now he was getting his just reward, and enjoying it greatly. Nurse Joy, after scolding Alex, took Growlithe back to the others, and pushed the cart into the back for healing. Gary then turned and rounded on Alex with an angry expression.

"What the heck was that for?!" Alex only looked at Gary calmly as he shouted.

"I told you not to pet him."

"You could have told me he would bite me!"

"You shouldn't be petting other trainer's pokemon unless you're invited to."

"Well you should have better control of your pokemon!"

"He only bit you because he didn't like you, it's not a control problem."

"You should be able to stop your pokemon from biting people, it's dangerous!"

"It's only dangerous to idiots."

"Oh yeah?! And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Exactly what it sounds like Oak, you're an idiot!" Alex jumped to her feet, finally loosing her patience.

"If I'm an idiot, what does that make you?!"

"At least I don't go around petting other trainer's pokemon!"

"Yeah, because only stupid pokemon would like you!"

"Well only cocky, arrogant, egotistical, jerkish pokemon would like you!"

"Oh please, I'm a lot more likable than you!"

"Maybe to bimbos and fellow idiots, but everyone else hates your attitude!"

"Yeah, and nobody at all likes yours!"

"Oh please! I could make a lot more friends than you if I bothered to try Oak!"

"Prove it! Do you have a fan club like me?!"

"That's not a fan club, that's a bunch of airheads that have nothing better to do than make up some stupid rhymes to cheer you on with!"

"At least they like me!"

"They like the fact that you're professor Oak's grandson, they wouldn't care about you otherwise!"

"You're just jealous!"

"Why the hell would I want those things following me around all day?! I would hate to get stalked by a bunch of noisy girls, they're annoying!"

Matt and Charlotte watched the two scream at each other angrily. It was so obvious they liked each other, and yet they didn't realize it. Turning to look at each other, they sighed and shook their heads.

"Leave them alone, maybe if we're lucky, we'll come back and they'll be admitting their undying love for each other." Matt nodded, and the two turned away, leaving the feuding pair behind as they walked out the door.

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**Chapter 7! Yay Growlithe, saving the day and causing another arguement! Lol, Gary was injured. Anyway, I think it came out okay, and I had fun writing the arguement at the end! So yeah, review please, they make Wolfie very happy and inspire her to keep writing.**


	8. Chapter 8

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Chapter eight of everyone's favourite story! Alright, I'm adding one last OC to Alex's travel party, but not till later on. Anyway, this chapter features: An incredibly short gym battle (Cuz really, Lt. Surge only has one pokemon, so it won't be that long...), the meeting of a new OC, and perhaps another round of Alex VS Gary screaming edition. Maybe, I'll add a bit of fluff, maybe not, it depends on my mood.

**Disclaimer: Alex-Mine, Charlotte-MetalPrincess's, Matt-Ketchum Kids, Raye-Nejiten's (her name is really long, so I just shortened it.) Everything else does not belong to us.**

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Dugtrio had grown surprisingly quickly. Starting out as a Diglett, Alex had been training him for nearly a week, since the Diglett of Diglett Cave were not very powerful compared to other pokemon. Now, she was a fully evolved Dugtrio, and was ready for the battle against . Alex tossed her ball from hand to hand nervously; she had heard was quite scary. Of course, her source was her wimpy rival Matt, who thought her Growlithe was terrifying when angry (even though at most he growled...). There were a lot of people who backed up his claim, but there were also many against it. Looking up, Alex examined the gym's outside appearance. It was a large concrete building, with some decent sized windows on the second floor. Large decorative lightning bolts told her she was at the right only real opening on the first floor was the glass doors, which showed the interior of the gym lobby.

Walking over, Alex pushed open the doors lightly and shuffled into the room. It looked like a waiting room for the doctor's office really. The walls were painted white, a gray carpet was on the floor, a group of black leather arm chairs with an oak table in between took up the left side of the room, and a large oak wood desk was on the right. Not much color really, but it did look formal. Alex tapped her foot as she looked the area over; she really wasn't one to have an entire room black, white, and grey, but her opinion did not matter. Turning around, Alex searched for a way into the gym, and her battle with .

The only hall leading down into the gym was dark, and no noise could be heard from within. Shrugging her shoulders, Alex started to walk down the hallway, searching for the gym leader. She passed various doors, and after looking into them, found out they were nothing but empty rooms. Shaking her head, she continued walking, wondering just how long this hall was. Hours seemed to pass as she walked, and still did not find any sign of the gym leader, or even a field to battle on. By the time she reached the end, she was just about ready to give up, when a flicker of light caught her eye. Walking over to the door it was coming from, Alex pushed it open and glanced in. A large stadium met here eyes, with a battle field in the center of it all. Down on the field, a man was standing with a Raichu, giving the electric mouse orders as it shot waves of electricity off into the air.

"So that's Lt. Surge, huh?" Alex slipped into the room, and started to walk down the steps carefully. Lt. Surge and Raichu continued to train, completely oblivious to their audiance. Making her way to the railing, Alex jumped, much like she had at Cerulean City. It was at this point that Raichu seemed to notice her, and stopped his training to watch her come closer. Seeing Raichu was no longer listening, Lt. Surge looked in the direction his pokemon was looking. He was mildly shocked to see a young girl walking their way, her black hair swinging back and forth behind her. Her green eyes were illuminated in the flourescent lighting above them, and he watched as she stared at him determinedly.

"Little girls should not be sneaking into gyms." The girls face faulted for a moment, a flash of anger coming over her features. Soon, her features were back to normal, and she only looked mildly irritated by his insult.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not a little girl then." Alex watched in mild fascination as Lt. Surge's eyes narrowed. Raichu was growling at her slightly, and his cheeks were sparking with electricity.

"What are you doing here?" Turning her attention back to the leader, Alex had to crane her head back to look him in the eyes. Really, her 4'6" height was nothing compared to him, he was at least 6', if not taller. His black eyes were staring down at her, but there was no malice in them. He had tan skin, and a shock of blond hair added perhaps two to three inches to his height. An army suit was his clothing of choice, and Alex tried to imagine him in the middle of a war.

"I want a battle, I need my Thunder Badge."Lt. Surge tilted his head back and laughed loudly, making Alex's jaw and fists clench in anger.

"Little girl, do you think you could possibly stand a chance against me? How long have you been a trainer; two, maybe three weeks? I've been training pokemon for years, and I'm not about to have some midget brat try to show me up." Alex narrowed her eyes on the gym leader. So what if she was a new trainer? He had no right to deny her a match; he was the gym leader, he HAD to battle her if she challenged him.

"I'm gonna make you eat those words you over sized jerk!" Lt. Surge looked down in shock; she had just slapped him on the arm! Raichu was growling loudly at this point, and the electricity from his cheeks was a steady stream now. Alex ran to the other side of the field, and pulled Dugtrio's pokeball from her belt. Surge was looking at her in something akin to amazement, but he nodded his head when he saw the pokeball in her hand.

"If you want to loose that badly, then so be it." Lt. Surge walked to his side of the field, Raichu following behind. When he reached his spot, he turned to face Alex, with Raichu standing in front of him. Alex nodded, and tossed her pokeball up into the air. A flash of bright light, and then Dugtrio was on the field in front of her trainer.

"Trio trio." Alex smiled as Dugtrio called out excitedly. Here she was, about to begin the battle for her third badge, and already she was at an advantage. Lt. Surge glanced at Dugtrio, his face calm despite the type disadvantage.

"Are you ready?" Nodding, Alex waited patiently for the gym leader to make the first move.

"Good, Raichu, use mega punch!" Raichu rushed forward, though not at the speed it should have.

"Dugtrio, dig!" Dugtrio burrowed it's way underground as Raichu drew closer. The electric mouse stopped short at the hole, and backed away slightly. Whipping around, Raichu's ears twitched as it tried to listen for the ground type. Perking it's head, Raichu jumped left, and dodged Dugtrio as it shot up from the ground. Alex growled in frustration; Raichu might not be as fast as it should, but it was well trained.

"Raichu, body slam!" Raichu whipped around, and threw itself at Dugtrio.

"Dodge and use magnitude!" Dugtrio burrowed down once more, and Raichu landed on the ground. A moment later, the ground started to shake, and Raichu let out a cry of pain as it was thrown about. Coming back to the surface, Dugtrio waited patiently for Raichu to make it's next move.

"Use take down!" Raichu pushed itself up, and turned back to Dugtrio. It then ran forward, it's eyes locked on the ground type intently.

"Dodge and use mud slap!" Dugtrio attempted to move, but Raichu suddenly slammed right into it, injuring the ground type. Giving a cry of pain, Dugtrio burrowed down, and popped up a distance away from Raichu, who was gloating it's victory. Whipping about quickly, a wave of mud and dirt shot out toward Raichu, and coated the electric mouse. Raichu cried out in anger, and attempted to get the dirt from it's fur. Lt. Surge watched angrily, upset Raichu had been caught off guard so easily.

"Raichu, use mega punch again!" Raichu shook itself one last time, and then ran toward Dugtrio eagerly.

"Dugtrio, dig again!" Dugtrio burrowed once more, and Raichu attempted to stop short. Tumbling over itself from the sudden stop, Raichu looked about anxiously. A sudden rumbling under it made Raichu look down, before it's eyes widened. Attempting to jump away once again, Raichu only managed to get up into the air slightly, before Dugtrio shot up and collided with his stomach. The electric mouse was thrown across the field, and landed in front of , who looked angry at this point.

"Raichu, get up and body slam it!" Raichu struggled to it's feet, and once again went rushing for Dugtrio. The ground type only watched with fascination as Raichu ran forward, slower than before because of it's injuries.

"Dugtrio use magnitude again." Not even bothering to burrow underground, Dugtrio started to shake, making the field shake with it. Raichu attempted to steady itself, but it's attempts were useless, as it was thrown once more. Giving a cry of pain, Raichu slammed to the ground harshly. For a moment, it did not move, and then it struggled to it's feet once more.

_Wow, this is one determined Raichu..._

Alex watched in shock as Raichu rushed forward once more, getting ready to throw itself at Dugtrio. Shaking her head, Alex watched as Raichu tripped, and tumbled to the ground momentarily. Not a split second later, it was back on it's feet, and rushing Dugtrio once more.

"Dugtrio, use mud slap again!" Dugtrio twisted itself, and sent a wave of mud and dirt flying toward Raichu. The electric mouse shook it off, and finally threw itself at the mole pokemon, slamming itself against the three heads. Dugtrio grunted at the hit, but was not damaged too badly, since Raichu was weakened considerably.

"Raichu, use mega punch!" Raichu hopped away from Dugtrio lightly, stumbling when it landed, and pulled it's fist back. The fist glowed a bright white, and Raichu got ready to smack Dugtrio.

"Dugtrio, dodge and use dig one last time!" Dugtrio furrowed it's way underground, making Raichu miss it as the mouse attempted to hit him. Raichu spun on the spot, and collapsed on the ground in weakness. Another rumble, and Dugtrio shot up from the ground, slamming into Raichu's defenseless body, sending the mouse flying once more. Raichu fell on the ground, and this time did not struggle to get back up. Lt. Surge looked at his pokemon in shock, his mouth gaping. How had this little girl beat him so quickly? Her Dugtrio had acted like his Raichu was nothing, granted it did have a type advantage, but still! Heaving a sigh, Lt. Surge returned his Raichu, and started to walk across the field toward Alex. Dugtrio had been returned (after getting a hug from an extreamly happy trainer), and Alex was waiting patiently for to come over.

"That was a good battle, and you've earned this." Lt. Surge held out his hand, and the Thunder Badge glinted up at Alex. She took it eagerly, and examined the shiny surface. It was shaped like an eight point star, with an orange octagon in the center. Grinning to herself, Alex nodded to him, and then turned and darted to a set of stair leading back up into the stands. Climbing the stairs two at a time, she rushed up between the seats, and out the door to the hall. The dark did not bother her this time, and she ran down the hallway eagerly as she headed to the doors of the gym.

Warm sunlight hit her skin as she ran out, and Alex closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation. The district of the city that the gym was in was quiet as Alex walked back to the pokemon center. It may not have seemed like it, but Dugtrio had gotten a decent amount of damage from the battle. Pulling out her badge case, Alex popped the lid open and put her Thunder Badge with the other two. Alex admired the three badges, and felt a grin come onto her face. She had been a trainer for only a little over a month already, and she had three badges and five pokemon to show for it. Granted, there were a lot of trainers that had many more pokemon than her, but she was fine with the ones she had.

"So how was your battle?" Looking up, Alex grinned at Charlotte, who was watching her curiously. Holding up her badge case, Alex pointed to the newest edition to her collection with great pride. Charlotte smiled at her, and waited for Alex to walk up before the two set out for the pokemon center.

"'s Raichu was pretty powerful, but not very fast, so Dugtrio was able to attack him a lot." Charlotte nodded, listening as Alex recounted her battle to her.

"He must have evolved it into Raichu not long after he caught it, otherwise it would be a lot faster."

"Well yes, but it's power makes up for it's speed." Nodding her head Charlotte held the door to the pokemon center open for Alex.

"Thanks." Alex walked up to the counter, and handed Dugtrio's pokeball over to Nurse Joy, who took it with a smile. Matt had left Vermilion by now, and was heading back to Saffron so he could go to Celadon and battle for his Rainbow Badge. Charlotte had suggested they stay in Vermilion for a little while, so they could train and get some rest from traveling. Both had decided they wanted to get a little down time, and they would set out for their Rainbow badges soon.

"So, you still need to catch a sixth pokemon, what are you going to make it?" Alex put her finger to her chin, and thought the question over.

"Well, I'm going to need a water type, but I'll also need a ghost to take on Sabrina in Saffron. I can maybe take on Blaine with Dugtrio, but the getting my earth badge will be hard." Thinking it over, Alex ran the possibilities over in her mind. She really could use a water type, since Dugtrio alone would not be good enough to beat Blaire, but a ghost type would definitely help again Sabrina.

"I think I might send Primape to Professor Oak, and catch both a water type and a ghost type. A Haunter would really be good against Sabrina, and a Golduck or Gyarados would boost my chances against Blaine a lot...I don't know, I'll think it over." Charlotte shrugged, and followed along as Alex walked out the door to the city. Gary was still in the city (Charlotte thought he wasn't leaving until Alex did...), but they hadn't seen him since his fight with Alex in the pokemon center a week ago. Well, they hadn't talked to him, they still saw him occasionally on the street.

The two walked toward the park, chatting about just about anything. People were bustling along the sidewalk, some of them pushing their way around the pair as they walked. More than once Charlotte had to hold Alex back from pouncing on a particularly rude person. When they finally reached the park, Alex had lost her temper a total of three times, and ended up screaming at the people who had caused it.

"What the hell was that for?" Alex glanced at Charlotte, who looked upset as she glared at Alex.

"I just don't like getting shoved around...people need to learn some manners!"

"Or maybe you just need anger management." Whipping around, Alex came upon a now too familiar face. Gary smirked at her in his usual jerkish way, and Alex was once again overcome with the urge to smack him.

"I've told you before, I'll tell you again Oak: go jump off a cliff!" Gary rolled his eyes, but the smirk was still plastered to his face.

"And I've told you, there are no cliffs around here."

"Well go find one!"

"I would, but then who would annoy you?"

"Hopefully nobody, you've done enough annoying for one lifetime!"

"I'm hurt, really, how could you say such a thing?"

"It's easy, I just have to look at you."

"Really, what's with all the hostility?"

"The hostility come from the fact that I HATE YOU!"

"Yeah, sure, you want me and you know it."

"Oak, I would rather kiss a Muk than say I wanted you."

"I never thought I'd see the day you were in denial."

Charlotte groaned in frustration. They were getting at it once again. Really, couldn't they go one say without starting a fight? Turning away with a huff, Charlotte started to walk to a tree not too far from the two. On the way, she caught sight of a girl down the path somewhat. She had black hair in a high ponytail, blue eyes, glasses, a blue short sleeved shirt, white skirt, and white sandals. A Vulpix was sitting in front of her, and the two had their eyes set on Alex and Gary. For a moment the girl only watched, and then a grin broke out on her face and she giggled lightly. Glancing back at Gary and Alex, who were still fighting, Charlotte shrugged her shoulders and walked over to the girl.

"I take it you find them amusing?" The girl looked up, a surpsrised look on her face. Then, she smiled, and nodded her head.

"Yeah, it's so obvious they're in denial. You can just look at them and tell they have crushes on each other." Charlotte grinned, and sat down next to the girl.

"My name's Charlotte, Miss Denial is my traveling partner Alex, and her boyfriend is Gary."

"I'm Raye." Sticking her hand out, Raye waited patiently for Charlotte to shake it. Fulfilling Raye's wish, Charlotte took her hand briefly and shook, and then turned her attention to the still fighting pair.

"You know, it gets really annoying; they can keep this up for hours, I know." Raye laughed, and shook her head slightly.

"I think it's cute, they're so oblivious on how to show how they feel, they do it the only way they know how, by fighting." Charlotte nodded slowly; it made sense, since she highly doubted either Gary or Alex have had crushes before. The fighting was only an excuse to get each other's attention, they didn't really mean the insult they threw at each other.

"YOU'RE SUCH AN EGOTISTICAL, SELF-CENTERED, JERK OAK!" Well....maybe Gary didn't; Alex...it was too hard to tell with her.

"She doesn't mean it...it's her way of getting him to pay attention to her instead of those cheerleaders I've seen him with." Turning to Raye, Charlotte saw her eyes focused on the two, a glimmer of amusement in their depths. Charlotte smirked lightly, and nodded her head.

"It works pretty well then, doesn't it?" Raye giggled, and stood up. Finally taking her attention from the feuding pair, she glanced at Charlotte.

"They might be a while, so we should leave them alone. I heard there's going to be a sale in the shopping district, you want to come?" Looking back at Alex and Gary, Charlotte wondered if she should leave. One glance at her new friend however, and she knew Alex would be fine. The brunette's eyes were shining with liveliness, and it was obvious she was more than happy to stay there fighting with Gary. Turning back to Raye, Charlotte grinned and nodded.

"Sure, why not? I think I need some potions anyway, and Alex is busy right now." Standing up, Charlotte followed Raye down the path to the exit of the park. Glancing back over her shoulder one last time, Charlotte focused on the two behind them. Gary was looking at Alex in amuesment, and she was waving her arms around for emphasis as she screamed insults at the boy in front of her. They had entered their own world, and didn't seem to notice they were now alone in the quiet of the park. Shaking her head, Charlotte looked forward once more. Yes, Alex would be perfectly fine, she was sure of it.

-_-_-_-Later-_-_-_-

Charlotte walked into the room she was sharing with Alex. Raye followed her closely, both laughing as they told amusing stories of their childhood to each other. Alex's bunk was empty, which meant one of two things: she was still insulting Gary, or she was out training. Shaking her head, Charlotte dropped her bags on her bed, and started sorting through the things she had bought. Pokeballs, potions, escape ropes, and various other necessities for their trip. Raye had come in and sat on a chair, and was looking about the room in fascination. Normally, a room in the pokemon center was painted with plain colors, and had plain decorations on the walls. Not theirs though, Alex had taken a camera, tape, scissors, and paper and decorated the walls with hand made decorations.

"Wow, you guys must be really arty." Looking up, Charlotte realized Raye had walked over to one of the decorations, and was looking at the picture closely. It was the one with Alex and Charlotte sitting side by side, their Growlithes in their laps as they smiled at the camera. Alex had somehow scammed a passing kid into taking a dozen or so pictures, this being only one of them.

"Nah, not me. Alex was the art freak when she made those. She spent like four hours on them all." Raye looked at her in puzzlement.

"Why would she spend four hours on pictures?" Charlotte shrugged.

"She complained the room was too 'bland' and dragged me out to take pictures." Raye looked at the picture once more, and then turned and sat back in the chair she was in before. A moment later the door slammed open, and Alex came stomping into the room.

"Stupid Oak...doesn't know anything..." Throwing herself onto her bed, Alex failed to realize they had a guest, who was watching her in confusion. Charlotte shook her head, and then walked over and poked Alex in the arm.

"What?"

"We have a guest." Alex pushed herself up, and scanned the room. As soon as her eyes landed on Raye, a confused look came over her face.

"Who the heck are you?" Charlotte smacked her hand to her forehead and sighed. Sometimes, Alex didn't have a clue.

"My name is Raye." Shrugging her shoulders, Alex threw herself back onto the bed and buried her face in her pillow. Charlotte and Raye looked at her in confusion, and then shot each other looks.

"Alex, what's wrong?" Alex did not look at them, but they were able to make out the muffled word she spat out against her pillow.

"Oak." Charlotte shook her head, and Raye smiled.

"What did he do this time?" A groan was their answer, and Alex pushed her face into the pillow harder. Charlotte walked over and yanked the pillow out from under the girl, making her yelp as her head fell onto the bed.

"Whatever it was, I don't think it's worth smothering yourself over." Alex only turned away, and curled up into a ball. The girls blinked in surprise, and Charlotte leaned over Alex to look at her. She pulled away in shock when she realized there were tears slipping down Alex's face.

"Oh Alex, what happened?"Charlotte pulled the smaller girl off the bed and into her arms. Alex only shook her head, and hid her face with her hands. Raye felt a bit of pity for the girl; whatever Gary had said must have really hurt her.

"You'll feel better if you talk about it." Alex didn't respond, only pulled her knees up to her chest and held onto them tightly. Charlotte sighed, and looked at Raye helplessly. Raye frowned, but she got up and walked over to the bed and sat down.

"You know Alex, if you don't tell someone what happened, it'll only eat at you and you'll feel worse." Alex sighed, but lowered her knees and looked at the two. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she had tear tracks on her cheeks.

"He was just a big jerk, but it bothered me worse than usual..."

**_Alex screeched in frustration as Gary smirked at her. He had succeeded in insulting her yet again, and it was really pissing her off. Gary only snorted as Alex looked torn between smacking him and stomping off, and watched her have an internal battle. Coming to a decision, Alex pulled a pokeball off her belt and glared evilly at him._**

_**"That's it Oak, I'm gonna kick your butt." Gary grinned to himself, and pulled a pokeball from his belt. Tossing their respective pokeballs into the air, the two walked to a grassy patch by the trees. Taking a side each, they faced each other. Alex's Butterfree fluttered around in front of her, while a Pidgeotto waited patiently in front of Gary. Butterfree looked at the bigger pokemon in curiosity, while Pidgeotto only looked smugly at the bug. Gritting her teeth, Alex resisted the urge to growl; she was at a type disadvantage, and with Gary, that could be a bad thing.**_

_**"Butterfree, use psybeam!" Butterfree's eyes glowed with a rainbow of colors, and then a beam shot from them, heading straight for Pidgeotto.**_

_**"Dodge it and use gust Pidgeotto." Pidgeotto flitted to the left, and then started flapping it's wings in Butterfree's direction. The bug pokemon struggled against the wind, but was soon thrown back, slamming into one of the trees. Alex cried out in shock, and turned to her pokemon with a worried look on her face.**_

_**"Butterfree are you okay?" Butterfree pushed himself up, and fluttered his wings, lifting himself into the air.**_

_**"Free free." Butterfree flew forward, and stopped in front of his trainer. He glared at Pidgeotto, who still had a smug look on his face, matched by one on his trainer's.**_

_**"Alright Butterfree, use sleep powder!" Flapping his own wings, waves of green dust flew at Pidgeotto, who had flew up into the air.**_

**_"Pidgeotto, use whirl wind." Flapping it's wings once more, a giant pillar of air appeared in __front of Pidgeotto, and went spinning toward Butterfree. Before the butterfly could attempt to get away, it was sucked into the cyclone. At the very center of the vortex, Butterfree gave off cries of fear and pain, the wind making small twigs and pebbles ram into his sensitive wings and body._**

_**"Butterfree, use gust and stop it!" Butterfree could hear his trainer's voice, but not see her, as she was almost directly below, and the whirl wind was throwing him about. Attempting to steady himself, and use his attack, Butterfree started weakly beating his wings against the current, resisting the pull of the winds. For a moment he stilled, and the winds seemed to slow.**_

_**"Quick attack Pidgeotto." An entirely different rush of air came at Butterfree, and he turned to see the bird heading straight for him. Unable to dodge, Butterfree cried out in pain as Pidgeotto collided with him, knocking him out of the cyclone and to the ground far below. Butterfree landed with a crash, and groaned in pain when he twitched slightly. Attempting to push himself up, he ignored the pain and shoved his arms against the ground. He could only make it half way before his arms gave out, and he went crashing to the ground once more. Alex rushed over, and flipped Butterfree over to check him over. The battle was over, Gary the winner, but Alex didn't care. She was more concerned for her Butterfree than her pride.**_

_**"Tch, that was pathetic." Not even bothering to glance at Gary, Alex pulled Butterfree up and leaned his injured body against her own. Gary watched with a blank look, having already returned his Pidgeotto to it's pokeball.**_

_**"If you're beaten that fast, you don't even deserve to be a trainer." That was the last straw; Alex lost her temper and whipped around, her eyes blazing with hate for the boy behind her.**_

_**"Why don't you just go find a corner to crawl into and die Oak?! Honestly, you're the biggest jerk in the world and I'm done with dealing with you; just leave me alone from now on, alright?!" Gary seemed shocked, and he took a step back at the sheer volume of her yells. Alex turned back to her Butterfree and returned him to his ball, and then stood and ran off, intent on leaving Gary behind. Watching her go, Gary couldn't seem to shake off his shock. He honestly hadn't thought she would snap like that; if anything, he expected her to insult him. Sighing, Gary lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, wondering just what had made him push her so far.**_

"I'm killing the cocky, little brat." Charlotte glared evilly at the wall across from her. Alex was crying once more, and Raye had taken over the job of soothing her, rubbing her back and muttering encouraging words. Glancing at her two newest friends, Charlotte felt helpless as she watched the smallest of them cry. Honestly, Alex reminded her of a little child; a bright personality, sometimes childish, and a large dream. She couldn't help but feel protective of her, and she hated that Gary had hurt her so badly. Raye looked up at Charlotte, a sad look on her face as she settled her hand on Alex's shoulder.

"That's not a good idea Charlotte." Turning away, Charlotte crossed her arms and huffed in anger. Feeling trapped, she stood and walked over to the door, opening it and walking out into the hallway. Standing alone, she glared at nothing in particular, growling to herself under her breath. Raye came out a moment later, closing the door quietly.

"I managed to convince her to get some sleep, so she should be sleeping for a while." Charlotte nodded silently, not looking at Raye, who was watching her. Clenching her fists, Charlotte growled to herself, and then turned to look at Raye.

"Where does he get off being so mean to her?! She's never really done anything to him, and he's started every fight they've gotten into! Poor Alex didn't deserve what he said, she's a really nice person..." Charlotte trailed off quietly, her anger having dissipated. Instead, there was a sad look on her face, and she focused on the floor, not saying anything. Raye sighed, and shrugged her shoulders.

"I think...I think he was upset he beat her so easily. He honestly expected for her to put up a good fight, and when he beat her that quickly, he grew frustrated. I agree he had no right to take his frustration out on her, or say those things, but I think he probably couldn't help it either." Charlotte gazed at Raye in confusion, trying to figure out what exactly she meant by that. Raye smiled sadly when she saw Charlotte's confused look.

"Think Charlotte; when you get in a battle, you want your opponent to be good and put up a good fight, right?" Charlotte thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"Yeah, it makes it more challenging." Raye nodded, a calm expression on her face.

"Yes, and when you beat your opponent easily, what do you feel?" Raising her finger to her chin, Charlotte tilted her head to the right slightly.

"I'm...kinda mad I guess. I really wanted it to be more fun than that, because beating someone that fast is no fun at all." Raye nodded once more, a happy smile on her face.

"Exactly, now Gary likes Alex, and he knows she's a good trainer, so when he beat her so easily, don't you think he's upset as well?" Charlotte thought, and then an understanding expression came over her face. She got it now, Gary was mad because he expected Alex to actually tie with him, like the last time she had fought him. A scowl came over her face then, and she fisted one hand and punched it into the other.

"So what; that still doesn't give him an excuse for what he said!" Raye nodded her head, sighing lightly.

"No, it doesn't, but I don't think Gary meant it. If he did think Alex was that bad a trainer, don't you think he would have told her long ago?" Charlotte grumbled, but nodded her head. Raye was right, so far, everything Gary had said was teasing, and none of it had been serious; well, as far as she knew. Shaking her head, Charlotte sighed heavily.

"I'm going to bed, good night Raye." Raye smiled and waved, and then turned and walked down the hall. Charlotte watched her go for a moment, and then turned to her own room. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring Raye with them on their journey, she would have to talk to Alex about it of course. Opening the door to her room, Charlotte stepped in and walked over to the Alex's things were gathered by. She glanced down, and then froze and looked again. Alex was not in the bed, and one look at her own told her she was not there either. Whipping around, Charlotte searched the room, looking for any clues that might tell her where Alex went. Alex's shoes were gone, and the green hoodie Charlotte herself usually wore was missing as well. Seeing Alex's bag, Charlotte dove for it and searched, then sighed in relief. Many of her things were here, her wallet included, which meant the brunette would be back, and she was not running off. Shrugging her shoulders, Charlotte climbed into her bed and laid down, settling in for sleep.

-_-_-_-Elsewhere-_-_-_-

Alex walked along slowly, Charlotte's hoodie pulled about her to protect her from the cool night air. She was still crying slightly, but the tears were small, and were fading away fast. So what if Gary didn't think she was a good trainer, it shouldn't matter to her. A stab of pain entered her chest at the thought of the young Oak, and Alex sighed lightly as she gave in to the truth. It did matter to her, and she knew why. Yes, everyone thought she was oblivious to her feelings for Gary, but they were all wrong. In fact, she had been aware from the beginning, since they first appeared; but she had been ignoring them in hopes they would leave.

Really, there wasn't even a chance of him liking her, he had all of his pretty cheerleaders following him around, and compared to them, Alex felt like some kind of tramp. She was a tomboy, though not a very big one, she was one none the less. Girly things failed to hold her interest, and she had no need to have only 'cute' pokemon. In fact, she would much rather take a Tauros over a Jigglypuff any day. Sighing to herself, Alex continued down the path she was walking on. The moon was shining in the sky, and thousands of stars looked like floating diamonds. Finding a nice spot on a small hill, Alex settled down and looked up. Watching the stars was calming to her, maybe not as much as it was to Ivysaur, but it still made her feel calmer.

Leaning back slightly, Alex let herself relax. Today had been a rollercoaster for her emotions. First, she won her badge, then she fought with Gary again, and then he said those things. They really hurt her, both because the words were cruel, and because it was Gary who said it. Sighing lightly, Alex reached up and swiped at the drying lines on her face. Pulling her fingers away, she looked at the small crystal drop in fascination. Then, she flicked it off and looked back up at the sky. The stars seemed to wink at her, and Alex let a small smile spread across her face. This used to be one of her favorite pass-times when she was little, around four or five. And then, she started to grow older and help out around the lab, and she realized she didn't have time to just sit back and look at the stars anymore. Now that she was out on her journey, and she had more time to herself, she could actually get back into the habit of looking at the stars.

"You know, I like looking at the stars, when I'm angry or upset...it helps a lot." Alex sat up and looked over her shoulder. Gary stood a few feet away, his head tilted back, and his eyes on the sky. A frown was on his face, and his eyes were dim; she could almost say he looked sad. A thin dark grey wind breaker kept the cold wind at bay, and his hands were in his jeans blinked once, and then turned and looked at her. His eyes met hers, and a sad smile worked it's way onto his face. Walking over slowly, he stopped when he was beside her and looked down at her.

"Can I sit?" Alex nodded mutely, not trusting her voice. Gary slumped to the ground, one arm extended out behind him, supporting him, while the other was limp at his side. He was looking forward, and shifting every few seconds, either to re-arrange his legs, or shift his weight from one hand to another. Watching him out of the corner of her eye, Alex wondered why exactly he was here. Seeming to feel her stare, Gary turned to look at her, and she snapped her gaze forward, turning her face away to hide the slight coloring of her features.

"I...I didn't mean what I said earlier." Alex turned and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Gary was looking forward, not meeting her gaze.

"What?" Gary sighed, and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Still looking at him, Alex could have sworn his face was turning pink.

"I didn't mean it when I said you're a bad trainer...you're actually pretty good. You've tied with me in a battle, and you already have three badges, even though we've only been training for about a month..." Gary still wasn't looking at Alex, but in the exact opposite direction as her. Alex herself looked away, deciding to spare him the embarrassment of being stared at.

"Oh...thanks I guess." Hearing Gary shift slightly, she really expected to hear him walk away. She was surprised, however, when she felt an arm go about her shoulders, and she was pulled into Gary's side. He was still looking forward, and his face was now red, but he gave no other sign of being embarrassed.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean what I said, I was upset, and I took it out on you." Alex looked at Gary again, her eyes slightly wide as he apologized. This was Gary Oak, the egotistical, arrogant, stuck up, jerk and he was apologizing for something he said...

"Who are you and what have you done with my jerkish rival?" Gary rolled his eyes, but a smirk worked it's way onto his face.

"You know, I try to be serious and you go and say something like that." Alex smiled, and looked back up at the sky.

"That's because you can't be serious Oak, you're too much of a self-centered priss." Gary snorted, but made no comment to her insult. Instead, he glanced down at her, and then back up at the stars, a satisfied look on his face. Neither seemed to notice or care that Gary's arm was still around her shoulders, and she was still leaning into his side. Instead, they relaxed, and enjoyed the silence in each others company.

* * *

**Eleven and a half pages, and over 6500 words. You people better be grateful, grateful I say, GRATEFUL! Anyway, there's chapter 8 for you, and I hoped you enjoyed it. I'm tired, and I have school work to do that's due tomorrow, so have a nice day.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so sorry everyone, I was sick for the past few days. I had a croup cough, which usually is only caught by infants and children under 3, but can still effect teenagers (3% to be exact, so I guess I was one of the lucky ones...), and is very uncomfortable. I'm much better now, so I'm getting to work on the story, and have an update: Matt is leaving. Ketchum Kid has grated my last nerve, so I'm taking Matt out. The place for an OC rival for Alex is now open, and there are some requirements:**

**Name**

**Personality**

**Appearance**

**Pokemon (Kanto only, they may evolve into Jhoto later, but no Jhoto preevoloutions, like Ketchum Kid had.)**

**You must be willing to let me change them to fit the story (such as giving them pokemon you did not list, and having them switch the team about.)**

**A way to contact you (Ketchum Kid refused to do this, but became a pain in the ass and demanded I answer every question, so it was a main reason Matt is leaving.)**

**Other than that, have fun with it, and come up with some unique OCs. I will pick the one I think will fit the story best, but the others might make and appearance anyway.**

**Disclaimer: Too tired...**

* * *

**Alex POV**

I looked at the two behind me and smiled slightly. Raye had joined us on our journey before we left Vermilion, bringing our group number up to three. Her pokemon consisted of Seaking, Fearow, Vulpix, Shellder, and Beedrill. The last one was a bit of a problem, since my dad had made sure to make me terrified of the bee pokemon. Don't get me wrong, her Beedrill was very nice and liked to help, but I still couldn't stand being around it much. I'm willing to work on my phobia, but it will take a while for me to grow used to it. Charlotte had been more than happy to agree when Raye had asked if she could come with us, and I really didn't see a problem with it. It certainly made traveling more fun, especially after she got used to us and we found out she was actually quite the had more than once told us a story of something she deemed 'sweet', which ranged from couples she had seen on the streets, to shows she had seen on TV. One of her newest, and most favorite 'sweet' things was the fight she had seen between me and Gary.

"You two are so cute together!" I sighed as Raye ran up and grabbed my arm, a grin on her face as she looked at me.

"Honestly, I don't think 'cute' can be used to classify Oak..." Raye's eye twitched at my response, and her grin fell into a frown. She didn't understand; after that night where Gary apologized, I didn't know how to act around him. Should I treat him the same as before, or should I treat him differently? Did anything change between us at all, or is everything the same? It was just too confusing; he was just too confusing. I heaved a sigh, and shrugged Raye off as we continued down the path. Lowering my head, I avoided the confused look my fellow brunette shot me. A hand landed on my shoulder, and I looked back at Charlotte, who stared at me with a neutral look.

"What's with you? Normally, you'd go into a ten minute rant the moment Gary is mentioned." I shrugged my shoulders lightly, and turned away from Charlotte's stare. Maybe I should tell her about what happened, she might be able to help...or she could make it worse. Wincing slightly to myself, I abandoned the thought. Looks like I was in this on my own. Sighing once more, I reached down and shuffled through my bag, searching for my map. We should only be about an hour away from Celadon.

"I'm bored, will we be there soon?" Glancing back from my map, I saw Raye eyeing either side of the road disinterestedly. A bored Raye usually wasn't good, a fact I learned two days ago after Charlotte wouldn't let her flip through her guidebook...I will be scared for life. Turning back to the map, I carefully read it over, looking for a sign that would tell me where we were. According to the map, there was a sign about two miles out from the city, telling travelers how far they had to go.

"Charlotte, have we passed a sign recently?" Charlotte put her finger to her chin, and thought as she followed Alex and Raye.

"Yeah, there was one about a half an hour ago, it said we were getting close to Celadon." I nodded, and then folded her map back up and stuck it back in my bag. Zipping it closed, I looked at the two over my shoulder, a small smile on my face.

"We're about a mile out, we should be there soon." The two nodded, and I turned back forward. We continued on in silence, each of us not knowing what to say to lift the tension. None of my pokemon were out of their pokeballs, as they were all tired from the long treck we had the day before. In fact, the only pokemon out of their pokeball was Raye's Vulpix, which followed her master loyally as she walked forward. Soon, the general sounds of a city could be heard, and we quickened our pace eagerly. Coming around a bend, we were met with Celadon, but we stopped short and stared when we saw it. Like all other cities, it had people crawling along the streets, but this was different. Nearly everyone had on a kimono, and there were flowers and balloons everywhere. Glancing at the other two, I shot them a confused look, only to get the same look from them. Shrugging our shoulders, we walked forward slowly, and looked for someone to explain what was going on.

**NormalPOV**

Pushing their way through the crowed, the girls looked for some sort of information booth, or an Officer Jenny to explain things to them. Spotting a familiar blue uniform, they quickly shuffled their way over to the police officer, who was standing with a Growlithe at her feet. She was watching the crowed intently, keeping an eye out for anyone who broke the law or committed a crime.

" Excuse me, Officer Jenny?" Looking down in surprise, Jenny eyed the three pre-teens curiously.

"Is something wrong girls?" Shaking their heads, the girls smiled.

"No, we were wondering if you could explain what was going on." Officer Jenny stared at them for a moment, and then shook her head.

"You must not be from around here." The girls shook their heads, and waited patiently for Jenny to answer them.

"Well, every April, Celadon holds two festivals. One, is the Flower Festival, which comes every third Friday of April, and the other is the Pokemon Festival, which is April 23rd every year. This year, the festivals happened to fall on the same day, so they got combined into a two day festival. Today is the first day, and tomorrow the second." The girls stared at Officer Jenny in wonder, and then thanked her and turned away. Pushing their way through the crowed once more, they talked to each other eagerly.

"I think we should join in, they sound like fun!" Alex nodded along to Raye's idea. Charlotte meanwhile, shook her head in denial.

"No way, we need to get our gym badges and leave. Besides, I really don't like parties, and all this is is one big party. We need to train, and if we spend time at the festival, it will just take more time for us to get our badges." Turning to look to the left, Charlotte groaned as she saw the empty space her friends once occupied.

"They're so immature!" Looking around her, Charlotte chose a random direction and started to push her way through the crowed, searching for Raye and Alex, who had wandered off.

-_-_-_-Later-_-_-_-

"Oh, I like that one, it looks so nice on you." Alex twirled slightly as she stood in front of the mirror. After sneaking off from Charlotte, her and Raye had gone off to find some kimonos, wanting to dress properly for the festival. Raye had found a nice medium blue kimono with a wave pattern on it, and had bought it immediately. Now that she was dressed in it, she was helping Alex to search for a kimono. Just now, Alex had found one she liked and tried it on. It was mostly white, but it had red flowers decorating it, and a gold obi to hold it closed.

"I do too, I think I might get it." Raye nodded her head eagerly, her hair bouncing as her head moved. The two planned to get their hair put into buns, and had each gotten a pair of chopsticks to hold the buns up. Alex nodded in satisfaction, and went back into the changing room and changed back to her usual outfit, and hung the kimono on her arm. Walking to the front, she paid quickly, and the two walked out into the streets. People were walking along freely, their pokemon beside them as they went from one booth to another. Finding a hair shop, they quickly went in, Alex finding the bathroom to change, and Raye getting the needed service. Soon they walked out, their hair in intricate buns held up by white chopsticks for Raye, which matched her obi, and black for Alex.

"Where should we go now?" Alex shurgged her shoulders, and looked about her lazily.

"Nowhere, you two are so dead!" Whipping around, they came face to face with a fuming Charlotte, who was glaring at them evilly. Raye quickly dove behind Alex, and looked over her shoulder to watch the inevitable explosion from the eldest member of their group.

"Where the heck did you two go?! You know what, don't answer that, I see where you went." Charlotte pinched the bridge of her nose in agitation. Sometimes, these two were so hard to deal with. And she thought Alex was a nightmare when things like this happened, but with Raye around everything just got worse. The two watched her warily, ready to run if she got too angry, though how they could possibly get too far in reed wood sandals was beyond Charlotte.

"Couldn't you have warned me before you wandered off?" Glaring at them dully, she didn't get the desired effect, because they simply stared back with wide eyes. For a moment the three stared at each other, and then Charlotte sighed.

"I guess you're going to force me into this, huh?" Sly grins slowly spread across Alex and Raye's faces, and they nodded. Jumping forward, they each grabbed a hand and dragged Charlotte down the street and towards the store they had bought their kimonos in. Pushing her into the shop, they herded her into the dressing room, and Raye waited by the door as Alex went off in search of a suitable kimono. Flicking through the racks, Alex found three possibilities, and quickly brought them back to Charlotte. The first was a light yellow kimono, which had a couple of sun designs splashed across the fabric. This was quickly rejected, as it didn't look good with her hair. Next, a purple one with white lilies was also tossed, as it clashed with her hair as well. Finally, a black kimono with white crescent moons was decided upon, since it didn't look too bad on her.

"I will hate you two for a very long time after this." Raye and Alex giggled, but dragged Charlotte along the streets. Raye paid for her kimono, and had her hair half up in a bun, while the rest was let loose down her back. They were getting a lot of glances from people, both curious and amused. Charlotte pulled her hands away, but followed her companions as they continued down the street. Growlie had been let loose from her pokeball, and was sniffing the air curiously as she walked. Alex had decided to let Primeape stretch her legs, and the monkey was following her trainer energetically.

"Hey look, they have a fan stall!" Grabbing the other's hands, Raye dragged them over to a stall on the other side of the street. Fans of various colors and designs were spread out on a table, and Raye began searching them eagerly. Alex looked slightly curious, and looked some fans over with interest. Charlotte rolled her eyes, and turned away slightly to look out over the street. Many people were passing them by, and some were gathering in the park on the other side of the street. Pokemon were everywhere, though there were mainly grass types. Roving her eyes about, Charlotte froze as she saw a familiar brunette over in the park. His black eyes were staring in their direction, but when she followed their gaze, she realized they were centered on Alex. Turning to look at Gary, Charlotte frowned slightly. He had left Vermilion about two days before they had, since they were still getting some rest.

"Charlotte look, we found a fan for you!" Charlotte jumped as a paper fan was thrust into her face. Pulling back slightly, she looked it over curiously. The backround was black, like her kimono, and there were silver stars and moons decorating the folds. Turning to the others, Charlotte saw that Raye had a light blue fan with tear drops on it, and Alex was lightly holding a red fan with white flower buds. Smiling slightly, Charlotte closed the fan and stuck it into the grey obi of her kimono.

"Thanks." Raye and Alex smiled, and turned back to the stand to look at the fans some more. Turning her attention back to the park, Charlotte sighed when she realized Gary was gone. Looking at the other two, Charlotte smiled and shook her head as Alex held a lime green fan with bright pink flowers on it up. Raye giggled, and then took the fan and posed with it, while Alex clapped lightly, pretending to be a judge. Laughing loudly, they turned and motioned Charlotte over, who obeyed their wishes and walked over.

"You have to look at these fans, some of them have really silly designs." To emphasize her point, Raye held up her horribly colored fan, while Alex held up an orange and purple one.

"I think you two just find all the weird stuff." Both shot her an offended look, but then shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so...well, Raye does at least." Raye gave a squeal of protest, and pouted at the abuse she was receiving.

"You guys are mean..." Alex and Charlotte grinned, and then stuck their tounges out at Raye.

"It's our job; there isn't anyone else around to insult you, so we'll take the difficult job onto our shoulders." Raye stuck her own tongue out, and then turned and stomped off down the road. Laughing to themselves, Alex and Charlotte tossed the oddly colored fans onto the table, and then followed their friend. The three walked for a while, looking for something to amuse themselves with. Something caught Alex's eye, and she walked over to a stall, leaving the other two. It took Charlotte and Raye a few minutes to realize she was gone, and then they back tracked to find her standing in front of a stall.

"Chocolate...why are you at a chocolate stall?" Alex turned around, and in her hand was a dark chocolate Wartortle. A bag was clutched in her other hand, filled with many different types of chocolate pokemon. Charlotte and Raye stared as Alex took a bite out of Wartortles head, their eyes twitching in irritation.

"What are you doing?" Alex glanced at them, and then down to her treat, and back up.

"Eating it's brains." Twitching their eyes again, Charlotte slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Why?" Alex chewed for a moment, and then took another bite out of Wartortle, eating it's arm this time.

"Because I like chocolate." Raye's frown dropped, and she giggled lightly. Charlotte smirked, a teasing look on her face.

"You wouldn't happen to be eating a Wartortle because a certain Oak owns one, would you?" Alex stopped chewing, and a smirk slowly spread on her face.

"Duh." Raye giggled again, and then darted up to the stall to get some chocolate of her own. Charlotte shook her head, but a smile was on her face. When Raye returned, the three set out again, stopping occasionally to look at stalls or watch street performers. Around noon, Alex ran into a familiar face, literally.

"Ouch! Oh, hi Alex." Alex sighed from her place on the ground, and glared dully at Matt. He was standing above her with a sheepish grin on his face, and rubbing the back of his neck. Sticking her hand out, Alex waited patiently until he pulled her up, and then smacked him upside the head.

"Are we always going to meet like that?" Matt's grin dropped, and a sad look came onto his face. Alex eyed him curiously, wondering just what was making him so sad.

"Actually no. I have to go back to Mauville..." Alex's eyes widened, and she looked at Matt with a stunned look.

"Why?" Matt smiled weakly, and sighed.

"My dad got hurt, so I have to go back to help my mom run the daycare. I won't be back I don't think, since my dad's injuries are pretty bad and will take a while to heal. Actually, I came here to find you and tell you I was leaving, and to say goodbye." Alex's face fell, and she nodded sadly. Holding her arms out, she hugged Matt lightly.

"Oh, okay. Well, bye Matt." Matt nodded, and hugged Alex briefly, before stepping away, a weak grin on his face.

"Bye Alex. Promise me you'll stop by sometime and say 'hi', alright?" Alex nodded, smiling lightly at her rival/friend. Charlotte and Raye had walked off, Charlotte waving bye to Matt as she went. Sighing, Matt grinned at Alex once more, before turning and walking off down the road, disappearing into the crowed. Alex's shoulders drooped lightly, and she shook her head in sadness. Matt was a good rival, and the fact that he had to give up his journey so early on was sad.

"So, he has to leave, huh?" Glancing to her left, Alex was slightly surprised to see it was Gary who had spoken. He had shown up from nowhere, and it was slightly unnerving that he seemed to know exactly where she was. Looking him over, she saw he was wearing a long purple yukata, the usual outfit for males during festivals.

"Yeah, his dad got injured." Gary nodded, a neutral look on his face. Turning his head slightly, he glanced at Alex out of the corner of his eye. He had to admit, she did look nice in a kimono. Looking forward once more, Gary mused over his fortune; he found Alex all by herself, having been left by her shadows to speak with her friend. Deciding he was going to push his luck a bit farther, he turned to his rival with a cocky grin.

"I was wondering, since this festival lasts until tomorrow, would you mind spending today with me?" Alex raised an eyebrow, and looked at Gary curiously.

"Are you asking me on a date Oak?" Gary smirked lightly, but did not look arrogant.

"More like a friendly outing, I think we could get a lot more out of being friendly rivals than trying to kill each other each time we meet." Alex blinked, but smiled lightly at Gary and motioned for him to lead the way. Primeape, who had wandered off to the park, followed her trainer and the egotistical one curiously. Gary walked forward, Alex beside him, and headed to a lake in the park. A show was happening at the lake soon, and there would be fireworks this evening. He really didn't know if Alex liked fireworks, but there was no time like the present to learn, now was there?

"Where did she go?" Raye and Charlotte had returned, only to find the spot Alex had been in empty. Turning to each other in confusion, they looked about in a panic, searching for their friend. Searching the area, Charlotte spotted a vendor who had a good view of the spot, and tapped Raye's arm. Looking at Charlotte curiously, Raye looked in the direction she was pointing, and saw the vendor. They nodded to each other, and then ran over to the stall.

"Excuse me?" The vendor looked up at them curiously. He was in his late 60's, and had a kind look about his face. His grey hair and beard, along with the wrinkles around his eyes reminded them of a grandfather, and the two hoped he could help.

"What can I do for you ladies?" Charlotte rustled through her bag, and found one of the pictures of Alex that was taken in Vermilion. Glancing at it, Charlotte handed it to the man, who looked it over curiously.

"Our friend was here a minute ago, but disappeared, have you seen her? She's wearing a white kimono with red flowers, and has her hair up in a bun." The man looked the picture over carefully, and then nodded and handed it back to the girls.

"Yes, I saw her, she left with a boy around her age." Charlotte and Raye shot each other confused glances, and turned back to the man.

"Could you describe him please?" Bringing his hand up to his chin, the man scratched it in thought.

"Well sure, he had reddish brown hair, dark eyes, was a bit taller than your friend, and they seemed to know each other." Glancing at each other, they nodded, turned back to the man and thanked him. Walking away from the stall, Charlotte returned Alex's picture to her bag.

"That sounds like Gary, I saw him earlier, so I wouldn't be surprised if he tracked her down. What I want to know is why she went with him, she said she hated him that one night..." Raye was looking off into the distance thoughtfully, ignoring Charlotte as she ranted. Turning back to her friend, she shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe he wanted to apologize? We won't know until we find them." Charlotte nodded, and the two walked down the street, searching for the pair. Alex and Gary meanwhile, were at the lake, sitting on the shore as they waited for the show to start. Alex was picking at the grass silently, wondering just what she was doing here. She still had no idea how to act around Gary, and he wasn't making it any easier, since he hasn't said anything since asking her to accompany him.

"You're unusually quiet." Looking up, Alex saw Gary eyeing her curiously. She shrugged her shoulders, and went back to her fascinating game of killing grass. Trying to think of something that would occupy her, Alex pulled the bag of remaining chocolates out and offered it to Gary. Sticking his hand into the bag, Gary pulled out a white chocolate Seel, and smirked as he bit off it's tail. Alex had a mint chocolate Oddish in her hand, and was nibbling on the grass on it's head. Eating their chocolate in silence, the two shot glances at each other, but did not say anything. A moment later, a motor boat came out onto the lake, with a man standing up in a seat, a mike held in his hand. Watching the man, the two settled back to enjoy the show.

-_-_-_-Later-_-_-_-

Charlotte and Raye sighed in exasperation. They had been searching all over for Alex, and had yet to find the smaller brunette. Walking into the park tiredly, they glanced up as fireworks shot up over the lake. Apparently there had been a show here earlier, and a lot of people had gathered to see it. Raye scanned the crowed tiredly, and then froze as she recognized two figures sitting next to each other.

"You're kidding me." Looking at her curiously, Charlotte wondered what was bothering Raye. Turning to look at Charlotte, Raye pointed to the shore of the lake. Following the direction she was pointing in, Charlotte felt her eye twitch in irritation. There were Gary and Alex, sitting together, thier heads tilted back as they watched the fireworks. They seemed to be talking and laughing, and Alex didn't seem to be as upset as she was a couple days ago.

"They look like they're...getting along." Raye glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Charlotte with a stunned look on her face. Looking back to the two over by the lake, Raye smiled lightly, and then turned and grabbed Charlotte's arm and dragged her away.

"Leave them alone for now, they're having fun." Charlotte nodded numbly, and turned to follow Raye as she walked off.

* * *

**There, I got chapter done in a day. Just so you know, Alex and Gary won't admit to their feelings for a long time now, so no I'm not putting them together already. They will be more friendly to each other from now on, of course they'll still fight like a married couple, it wouldn't be any fun otherwise. Anyway, I need an OC to replace Matt, so send in your designs please.**


	10. Chapter 10

**OH MY GOD! I WON'T BE ONE OF THE PEOPLE ALLOWED TO SUBMIT AN OC TO KETCHUM KID'S STORY!..........Right, well anyway: sweety, I've been on this site for a year, and though I only have eight stories, I have about a dozen more stored in my computer that I chip away at for practice. You're submitting a story in August, but you better get a lot of practice before hand, and find the right area to submit to, because you're not going to be a success over night. This goes for everyone who wants to make a story: Practice makes perfect, many of the stories in my computer are there for practice only, and I do whatever I want with them. Sometimes I submit them to Fanfic, like my one story All That Matters. I suggest you make a few oneshots, and then try the big chapter stories. Anyway, don't just rush into things, take it slow and steady.**

**The rating of T is going to be deserved from now on, cuz it's too much work holding myself back from making at least Alex curse! Oh yeah, you're going to hate me for what I do at the end of this chapter, the next one is going to be a time skip a few months ahead.**

**_Flashback_**

"Speaking"

_Thoughts_

**Various**

**Disclaimer: You already know it.**

* * *

Humming to herself, Alex walked along the path of the central park in Celadon city. The festival had ended yesterday, and the park was being cleaned of all the debris. Workmen walked about, picking up trash and taking down a large stage that had been set up. It was rather early, around 8 in the morning, and Alex decided she wanted to take a the workers boredly, Alex sighed when she quickly lost interest in their work. Gary had mysteriously disappeared after their 'date' two days ago, and frankly it bugged her. He can't just ask her to spend the day with him, say they were friendly rivals, and then disappear on her, it didn't work that way. Alex closed her eyes and walked along slowly, enjoying the gentle breeze on her face.

"If you walk around like that, you'll run into someone." The voice was quiet, and Alex didn't recognize it. Opening her eyes, she came face to face with a stranger. His eyes were an icy blue, and he had unruly dark red hair that hung around and in his face. He seemed to be a little older than Alex, around 12, and he was watching her carefully. Arms crossed in front oh his chest, he gave off an aura of solitude, and Alex felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle.

"Sorry...who are you?" The boy didn't answer, and instead continued to stare. He wore a black shirt with dark jeans, and his pokeballs were clipped to a thick belt around his waist. Alex sweat dropped, and felt a shiver run up her spine at his stare. To be honest, she was getting a little creeped out...

"Hiro..." Alex blinked, and stared at the boy in question.

"Wha...?" Rolling his eyes, the boy scowled in irritation.

"My name is Hiro." Closing her half open mouth, Alex stared stonily at the trainer across from her. He had given her the same snobby tone Gary gave her when she first met him...it was really pissing her off. Scowling lightly, Alex glared at Hiro, and growled low in her throat.

"Alright, now listen here you walking ice cube, I've had the displeasure of meeting a bunch of jerks already, so don't go adding yourself to the list!" Hiro raised a single eyebrow, but stayed silent as Alex ranted. The small trainer glared and tossed her arms about, yelling about all the 'jerks' she had met on her journey. It was amusing...but also starting to get on his nerves.

"You're so annoying." Alex froze in shock after Hiro spoke. Never had anyone called her annoying, and she would sooner die than let this guy get away with it. Twisting on her heel, she faced the strange anti-social boy and summoned her best death glare.

"What did you call me?" Hiro's eyebrow rose once more, and a slightly interested look appeared on his face.

"You heard me." Alex growled, and narrowed her eyes in on Hiro. Smirking to himself, Hiro could imagine the steam pouring out of the girl's ears. Hiro held back a laugh as various expressions crossed Alex's face, ranging from irritated, to confused, and then to the same stony look she first gave him.

"You...are...an...ASSHOLE!" Hiro's eyebrow lowered and he stared at Alex blankly. Alex glared evilly, and then whipped around and stomped off. She wasn't going to be dealing with that jerk, she'd already had enough of attitudes like that. Her calm feeling gone, Alex gave up on her trip through the park and walked off in the direction of the pokemon center. Charlotte and Raye would probably have gotten up while she was out, and were probably wondering where she was.

"Why do I always meet the jerks?" Alex crossed her arms and pouted lightly. Her luck sucked; so far, she had met three guys, and they were all jerks. The only people she'd met that weren't snobby were her friends Charlotte and Raye. Turning the corner, Alex came up to the sliding doors of the pokemon center, and paused briefly to allow them to open. Charlotte was sitting in the lobby polishing her pokeballs and keeping her eye on the door. She perked up when she saw Alex walk in, but slumped when she saw the brooding expression.

"What, did you and Gary fight again?" Alex glared at her slightly, but shook her head.

"No, but I met a jerk of the same degree." Charlotte blinked, looking slightly bemused.

"Wow, you're like...a jerk magnet." Alex groaned, and fell face down onto the couch beside Charlotte. Nurse Joy shot her a disapproving look, but didn't say anything. Charlotte only watched amused while her friend lay motionless.

"I hate guys like them." Charlotte laughed, and went back to polishing her pokeballs.

"So what's this jerk's name?" Alex flipped over, and pulled her pokeballs off her belt and put them on the table. Charlotte absent mindedly picked one up, and started rubbing the scuffs off it's surface.

"Hiro, but I doubt that's his full name; names like that are always longer." Shooting her companion a confused look, Charlotte paused in her work.

"What do you mean?" Alex shifted, and a thoughtful look came onto her face.

"Well, like my name: I like to be called Alex, but my full name is Alexandra. There's also others, like Officer Jenny, I bet her full name is Jennifer." Charlotte blinked, and turned back to the pokeballs. She twitched slightly when she realized Alex had taken advantage of her distraction to get her to polish her pokeballs. Turning to the brunette, Charlotte glared, and only got an innocent look back.

"Lazy brat, you couldn't do this yourself?" Alex shot her an innocent grin, and started to whine when she realized it wasn't working.

"But Charlotte, you do it so much better!" Charlotte grumbled, but continued to polish Alex's pokeballs, making the brunette hop up and down in her seat in happiness. Rolling her eyes, Charlotte couldn't hold back a smirk as Alex started to squeak with each bounce.

"You are so immature sometimes." Alex stopped her bouncing, and leaned back slightly.

"Only when hyper, and yelling at jerks always makes me hyper." Charlotte snorted, and pushed the five now polished balls over to her friend. Alex pounced on them and hooked them back onto her belt.

"Next time you polish them yourself, so I suggest not scuffing them up too quickly." Alex nodded absently, and then stood and looked around.

"I'm hungry, let's go find food." Charlotte sighed, but stood up as well and followed Alex obediently as the brunette literally followed her nose to the dining room. They found a small buffet table, and quickly filled their plates and sat down. Alex looked around as she was eating, and stopped to stare at a group across the room.

"Hey, isn't that Brock, the Pewter City gym leader?" Charlotte looked up, and in the direction Alex was pointing. Sure enough, the gym leader was sitting at a table, with a raven haired boy, a red headed girl, and a Pikachu.

"Yeah...I wonder what he's doing so far out here?" Alex shrugged, and turned back to her food in disinterest. Charlotte however, furrowed her brows and kept one eye on the group while she ate. Soon Alex finished, and she stood up and stretched with a yawn.

"Well, I'm off." Charlotte looked up in confusion as Alex cleared away her plate.

"Where are you going?" Alex looked at her, a slightly surprised look on her face.

"To train, and hopefully find Gary, I need a good fight to get my mind off that jerk." Charlotte's eye twitched, and she stared at Alex blankly.

"I thought you guys agreed to stop fighting?" Alex blinked, and then tilted her head.

"Yeah...but I need to start a fight." Shaking her head, Charlotte waved Alex off in dismissal. Alex walked out, and Charlotte went back to her breakfast peacefully. Yesterday she had managed to convince her friends she needed to stay at the pokemon center, and then snuck out to train. Some serious training had done her team some real good, as she had been preventing them from evolving for a while. After finally letting them evolve, her Charmander, Nidoran, Sandshrew, and Ratatta had all evolved. Now her team consisted of Charmeleon, Nidorina, Raticate, Psyduck, Growlie, and Sandslash.

"Not that bad, really." Charlotte nodded to herself, and stared down at her eggs curiously. She had two fire pokemon, so she stood a better chance against Erika than Alex. Then again, Alex had her Butterfree, which knew Psybeam, which was super effective against grass types. Shaking her head, Charlotte sighed in boredom.

"She'll do fine, she's somehow pulled a victory out of every one of her other battles." Grabbing her plate, Charlotte stood up quickly. She walked over to the garbage and dumped the remainder of her plate, and then turned and walked out of the room. The main lobby was empty, and Nurse Joy was standing behind the desk typing into the computer. Charlotte looked around, and then turned and walked out at a slow pace.

-_-_-_-With Alex-_-_-_-

"Now if I was egotistical, where would I be?" Alex put her finger to her chin in thought, and stuck her tongue out slightly. A moment later, she snapped her fingers, and ran off toward the center of town, where a large stage had been set up for public use.

"Hehe, get ready Oak, because I'm coming for you."

-_-_-_-Later-_-_-_-

Alex searched the crowd eagerly, looking for the obvious spiky hairstyle of her rival. Looking about, Alex frowned slightly as she searched everyone, not finding her rival anywhere.

"You take that back Gary!" Alex jumped slightly at the loud yell, but turned and walked in it's direction as she processed what the person had said. Pushing people out of the way, Alex grinned evilly as she spotted Gary's hair. Continuing her shoving, she made her way through the crowd slowly, listening to the argument between the two quietly.

"Why would I do that Ashy-boy? You know it's true, I'll always be better than you." Ash? Who was Ash? Finally reaching the edge of the crowd, Alex stared at the two. Gary was standing across from the raven haired boy in the pokemon center, who had the Pikachu on his shoulder. The red headed girl and Brock were off to the side, watching the argument with blank looks.

"No way Gary, I'm way better than you!" Alex decided the fight was entertaining, and quickly stole around to the two on the other side. Walking up to Brock's side, she kept her eyes on Gary and Ash.

"So what the heck are they doing?" Both Brock and the girl jumped in surprise, and turned to face Alex. Brock seemed slightly surprised to see her, but it was hard to tell with his squinty eyes...

"Hey, weren't you in my gym not long ago? You had that disobidient Mankey?" Alex twitched slightly in irritation, and turned to face the teenager.

"It's a Primeape now for your information, and she's perfectly fine now. And yes, that was me, now tell me why the heck the loud one is yelling." The girl seemed irritated at Alex's name for her friend, and glared evilly at the smaller girl.

"His name is Ash, and Gary's just being a jerk." Alex turned to the girl, and could feel the waves of killer intent coming from her. So she liked the loud one did she?

"I didn't ask you carrot top!" The girl stilled, and she stared at Alex with wide eyes. Then, her face grew red and she exploded.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?! MY NAME IS MISTY YOU MIDGET BRAT!" Alex growled at the midget comment, and refused to back down as Misty loomed over her. Ash and Gary had stopped their fight, and were now staring wide eyed at the two girls, while Brock inched away slowly.

"You heard me, or are you too focused on the big mouthed idiot to pay attention?!" Misty glared, and Alex inwardly grinned to herself. Finally, a fight, and with a loud red headed girl too. Forget Gary, this girl was much more fun to prod.

"Oh really, and what's your excuse; your ears are too low to the ground to be able to hear someone with a normal height?" Alex's eyes widened, and she had to hold herself back from jumping the girl. She was short, she knew that, but really, that was a low blow.

"My ears work perfectly fine thanks, a lot better than yours apparently." Misty's eyes narrowed, and her lip curled slightly.

"You know, you shouldn't start a fight you won't finish." Misty reached for her pocket, obviously going for a pokeball. Alex let her inner grin out, and she pulled Ivysaur's pokeball from her belt.

"Oh, I'm all for finishing this fight, trust me." Misty pulled out a pokeball, and threw it up into the air.

"I choose you, Starmie!" Alex watched with rapt attention as the light faded, and in it's place said water pokemon stood. It looked like an eight pointed purple starfish, with a big red jewel in the center of it's body.

"Interesting, but it doesn't stand a chance against my Ivysaur." Tossing her ball into the air, Alex grinned as her small green dinosaur emerged. He looked around in fascination, but then realized there was another pokemon across from him, and turned his attention to it. Brock hung his head, sighing in irritation; they had been hoping Ash wouldn't start a battle, and now Misty was.

"We'll see what your Ivysaur can do, but for now, Starmie, use swift!" The purple starfish jumped into the air, and started to spin. Small golden stars shot out from the spinning pokemon, and toward Ivysaur on the ground.

"Ivysaur, use razor leaf and get rid of those stars!" Ivysaur shot his leaves out, and concentrated on the small stars heading his way. The projectiles collided, exploding with small green and gold sparkles which fluttered to the ground.

"Starmie, use bubble beam!" Starmie stopped spinning, and fell to the ground. For a moment it was still, and then it bent down and shot a stream of bubbles at Ivysaur.

"Vine whip Ivysaur!" Ivysaur's vines shot out, and smacked against the bubbles as they approached. Helpless to his vines, the bubble burst, and Misty's attack was repelled yet again.

"Starmie, use psybeam!"

"Dodge and use take down Ivysaur!" Ivysaur hopped to the left, narrowly avoiding the rainbow beam of light that came his way. Running forward, he growled in concentration, and then launched himself at the water pokemon.

"Starmie, rapid spin!" Ivysaur collided with Starmie, but then the water pokemon started to spin. Getting smacked in the face with it's many appendages, Ivysaur slowly retreated to his trainer. Starmie stopped spinning, and landed in front of it's trainer triumphantly. His pride injured, Ivysaur growled lowly at the starfish from the safety of his trainer's side.

"Ivysaur, use poison powder!" Using his new dislike for Starmie as an encouragement to do his best, Ivysaur bent down and shot the stream of purple dust it's way.

"Dodge and use swift again Starmie!" Starmie started to spin again, and was lifted into the air. Poison powder missed, and Ivysaur's dislike for the water pokemon grew. It was making him look like a fool in front of his trainer and her rival, as well as a bunch of strangers.

"Ivysaur, use vine whip on the stars!" Shooting his vines out, Ivysaur viciously tore through the stars. Getting an idea, he lightly smacked one, not hard enough to break it, but hard enough to send it back at Starmie. The star flew back, and collided with another oncoming one. Ivysaur grinned evilly at his newly discovered ability, and started to send the stars back at Starmie with new vigor. Eventually, one collided with the water pokemon, and it was knocked out of the air.

"Starmie, no!"

"Ivysaur, use razor leaf!" Ivysaur nodded, and shook his bulb. The small leaves were launched at the water pokemon, who was trying to push itself off the ground as quickly as possible. The leaves collided with it's struggling form, and Starmie fell once again in a faint. A soft glow emmitted from the jewel in the center of it's body, and Misty stood gaping openly at her fainted pokemon.

"I...I don't believe it!" Alex grinned, and bent down to hug her Ivysaur eagerly. Misty was fussing over her Starmie, tutting to herself quite loudly...no wonder she liked Ash. Gary and the others still seemed confused over what had taken place, and weren't doing much of anything.

"That actually wasn't half bad." Alex froze, and the smile dropped off her face. She stood and returned Ivysaur, and then turned and stared stonily at Hiro, who had chosen that moment to make himself known.

"What are you doing here?" Hiro looked at Alex with a bored expression, his hand stuffed into his pockets. Gary, who had woken from his shocked stupor, shuffled over to listen in to their conversation. Honestly, the one guy leaves, and now she has a new one bugging her?! That was his job thank you very much!

"It's a free country, I can go wherever I want." Alex growled, and glared evilly at Hiro, who's eyes were staring blankly at her. Gary, who was standing slightly behind her, also glared at Hiro, who raised an eyebrow in interest.

"Well you can stop following me around." Hiro turned back to Alex, and stared once more.

"Who said I was following you, if anything, it's the other way around." Alex twitched, and renewed her glare.

"Why would I want to follow you around? You're just a stuck up jerk!" Hiro's face remained blank, and Alex had to suppress a shudder once more. It was sort of creepy, she could say whatever she wanted to him, and he never gave any indication of it having any effect.

"Are you finished?" Alex stared in shock at Hiro, who actually seemed to be expressing an emotion: irritation. Folding her arms across her chest, Alex huffed, and then turned and walked away, her hair swinging back and forth behind her as she went. Hiro watched for a moment, and then turned back to Gary, who was giving him a death glare. Raising a single eyebrow, Hiro watched as the glare worsened, and inwardly smirked. His suspicions were correct, this trainer had a crush on the midget, and was pissed off he stole her attention.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" Gary growled lowly, but turned and stomped off. Hiro shrugged, and then turned and walked in the opposite direction as Gary. Brock, Misty, and Ash all stood there silently, wondering just what they had witnessed among the three. Then, Ash's stomach growled, and Brock and Misty sighed as Ash grinned, and ran down the road in search of food. Left with no choice, they followed behind him quietly, resigning themselves to the next hour and a half in a restaurant.

-_-_-_-With Alex-_-_-_-

Alex stomped into the pokemon center angrily, much like she had that morning. Charlotte was still out, and there were few trainers in the lobby. Nurse Joy was standing behind her desk, and seemed glad when she spotted Alex come into the door. Raising her hand, she waved the small brunette over, and waited patiently for her to walk over.

"Yes Nurse Joy?" Nurse Joy gave her a large smile, and held out her hand, which had a small paper in it.

"Your father called asking for you. I told him you were out, and he asked me to tell you to call this number." Alex looked down at the paper, and reconized the number to the lab. Thanking Nurse Joy, she walked over to a video phone and punched in the digits, and turned her attention to the screen. The phone rang for a moment, and then the screen lit up, and her father's face came on.

"Hello?" Alex examined her father briefly. He seemed tired, and there were bags under his eyes. Something must be wrong, he father was always cheerful and energetic.

"Hey Dad, how are you?" Professor Birch seemed to perk at the sight of Alex, but did not smile like she expected him to.

"I'm fine Alex, how's your journey going?" His voice was even slightly strained, and Alex grew slightly worried.

"Great, I'm gonna go for my fourth badge soon, and I have five pokemon." Professor Birch nodded.

"That's wonderful honey." Trailing off, Professor Birch seemed uncomfortable for some reason.

"Dad, what's wrong, you're never like this unless there's something up." Professor Birch sighed, and turned away from the screen.

"Alex...I need you to come home for a while." Alex's eyes widened, and she almost dropped the phone in shock.

"What, why?!" Professor Birch flinched slightly at his daughter's outraged tone.

"I need you to keep an eye on the lab for me, my assistants and I have to go to a dig." Alex scowled in frustration as her father mumbled his excuse.

"That's not fair dad; you can't just ask me to put my journey on hold to watch over the lab for you!" Professor Birch sighed, and nodded his head as Alex ranted.

"I know Alex, but there isn't anyone else I can ask." Alex groaned, and leaned her forehead against the screen as she thought it over. On one hand, if she refused, her father wouldn't be able to go to this dig, and by the tone of his voice, she could tell it was important. On the other, if she accepted, she would have to stop her journey to watch over the lab. Though it would prove to be a good chance to train, and it would let her father go on the dig, it was still unfair.

"Please Alex, I really need to go on this dig, they've discovered one of the largest collections of fossilized pokemon every found." Alex sighed, and raised her eyes to her father's in resignation.

"How long will you be gone?"

-_-_-_-Later-_-_-_-

Raye and Charlotte walked into the pokemon center in a cheerful mood. They had spent the day training and shopping, and were both tired and ready for bed. By now, Alex was most likely having dinner, or had already eaten and was in the room already. Deciding they wanted to drop off their bags, they quickly walked down the hall toward their room, smiles on their faces.

When they reached the door, they found it unlocked, and they looked at each other in confusion. Opening the door, they were met with a dark room, the light turned off and no noise coming from inside. They stepped into the room, and Raye flicked on the lights as Charlotte looked about for Alex.

"Alex, you in here?" No response came to her questioning call, and the two shot each other worried glances. Raye walked over to the bunk Alex slept on, and checked the top one, but found nothing. Charlotte's eyes scanned the room, and landed on a small piece of folded paper on her bed, with her and Raye's names on the front. Walking over to it, she unfolded it and scanned the note on the inside.

**Dear Charlotte and Raye,**

**I know you're probably wondering where I've gotten off to by now. The truth is, I had to leave, because my dad needed me back at the lab. He has a dig that's really important to him, and I have to watch the lab for the next four months. I probably won't be able to make it to the league in time for the tournament, so don't wait up for me. You guys have been really helpful, and I'm really grateful to you, you're both really great friends. I'll try to make it to the league, but if I don't please don't go looking for me, I'm most likely in the next region by then. If I don't make it, I guess I'll see you guys in Jhoto, so good luck to the both of you.**

**Best of luck and wishes,**

**Alex**

"Did you know her dad was a professor?" Charlotte stared blankly at the note, but nodded to Raye's question.

"She told me a few days after we met." Raye stayed quiet for a moment, and then shuffled over to her bed. Sitting down on it, she lowered her head and let her eyes tear up. It wasn't fair that Alex had to leave half way through her journey. Raising her head, she stared at Charlotte, who was reading the note over once more.

"Hey, guess who gets to tell Gary about this?" Charlotte looked up, and stared silently at Raye. Then, she sighed and nodded her head.

"He isn't going to like it at all." Raye shrugged, and then layed down on her bed.

"I don't like this Charlotte, it's going to be so boring without Alex here." Charlotte nodded, and layed down on her bed and stared out the window. She had to wonder how long ago Alex left, and how far the young brunette had made it so far. Above all, she wondered if Alex was safe and all right. Closing her eyes, Charlotte rolled over and settled into a comfortable position on her bed. Her thoughts didn't leave her short friend, and she smiled as she remembered the Flower Festival a few days ago.

_Bye Alex, and good luck with watching the lab...we'll keep our eyes out for you._

**I would have had this up sooner, but the site decided to be a bitch and not load the login in area. Two days this has been sitting on my computer, so go complain to them, not me plz. And yes, I'm just plain mean sending Alex away. Next chap jumps forward to her return, worry not my friends, she still has Jhoto to go through, then Gary disappears from the series to be a pokemon researcher, so I'll then jump to his return. It's no fun without having Gary and Alex interact, and I'll explain as best I can when I do the jumps, what happened in the passed time, kk? Anway, please review cuz I've been frustrated to hell and back last few days, and reviews make me happy. I'm working on chapter 10 now, so please be patient guys.**

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	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, new chapter! This one is skipping ahead a few (5) months, so don't be surprised at a lot of changes that will be included.**

**_Flashback_**

_Thought_

"Speaking"

**Various**

**Disclaimer: You know most, but Hiro belongs to Thegoldenlock.**

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Tha thump

Tha thump

Tha thump

A large pokemon walked at a brisk pace through the woods toward the Indigo Plateau. The Indigo Plateau Conference was coming up, and his trainer was eager to go, and hopefully find her friends. It had been close to five months since she had been separated from them, and forced to go watch her father's lab. He had paid her, with a reward of four pokemon, one for each month she had spent there. A month had been then spent collecting the last badges his trainer needed to enter the Conference. Earlier, they were a measly day's walk away from the Plateau, but his trainer had tired out from the traveling, so he had opted to carry her small body. By now, they were about an hours away.

"Are we almost there Arcanine?" Growling his conformation, Arcanine raised his peaceful trot to a brisk gallop as he rushed up the trail toward the town that the Conference was held in. His trainer was sick with a cold recently, so she drained quickly from her travels. It was okay though, he enjoyed letting her ride him, but her only, never anyone else. Closing her eyes, Arcanine's trainer leaned into his warm neck and held on tightly. Alex Birch had finally been released from her duty of monitoring her father's lab, and was free to do as she pleased. A small brown lump in her lap stirred slightly, and Alex glanced down to check on the small pokemon. Her Eevee was one of the pokemon her father had given her as payment, Rhyhorn, Magikarp, and Abra included. Now, the last three were all evolved into Rhydon, Gyarados, and Alakazam, but Eevee she refused to evolve. She had a feeling it was not meant to be a Flareon, Jolteon, or Vaporeon.

Leaning back up, Alex watched the trees whip by her and her pokemon as Arcanine raced up the path. Her small Growlithe had evolved by chance, when he found a fire stone lying about in her father's lab about half way through their four month stay. She had trained her Ivysaur, which was now a Venasaur, and all her other pokemon. They were all ready for the Conference, much like their trainer.

"Arr..." Alex looked forward numbly, and smiled slightly. Thanks to Arcanine's rushed pace, they had reached the Plateau much earlier than expected, and the lights of the Pokemon League Village glowed dimly in the dark of the night. Sighing in relief, Alex patted Arcanine's side as he cantered into the village quickly, and stopped in front of the pokemon center. Climbing off her faithful pokemon, Alex didn't bother returning him to his ball, and instead let him follow her inside the pokemon center. Nurse Joy was standing at the desk, and seemed surprised when Alex walked in the door. Glancing at the clock, Alex understood when she realized the time was well past 10 o'clock.

"Sorry for the late enterance Nurse Joy, but do you have any rooms?" Nurse Joy smiled, and pulled a key from her pocket, handing it over to Alex.

"You're in luck, it's one of the last ones." Alex smiled sweetly, and then checked the key number. Turning down the hallway, she heard Arcanine follow faithfully, eager for some rest after their long journey. Holding the door to the room open for Arcanine, Alex waited until he walked in, and then shut it after him. She then crawled onto the bed, while Arcanine made himself comfortable on the floor. Eevee was put beside her pillow, while she got under the covers and curled up. A few minutes later she fell asleep, and the room fell silent once more.

-_-_-_-The Next Day-_-_-_-

Alex yawned as she stretched her hands above her head. Her cold had cleared up nicely, and she felt more energetic than she had for the past few days. A sudden weight landed in her lap, and she looked down to meet the large black eyes of her Eevee, who was wagging her tail eagerly.

"Eevee ee!" Alex smiled, and scooped her pokemon up into her arms. Arcanine was still snoring away on the floor, and Alex left him there while she went to take a shower. A few minutes later she came out, washed up in a new change of clothes, and her hair tied back to keep it from getting her shirt wet. Walking over to Arcanine, Alex bent down and started to poke him in the side. Eevee ran over quickly, and started to help her trainer by tugging on Arcanine's ear with her teeth. Arcanine stirred, and opened his eyes with an annoyed huff, before pushing himself up off the floor. Walking to the door, Alex returned Arcanine, and let Eevee hop onto her shoulder before she walked out.

"What should we do first, look for Charlotte and Raye, or go find something to eat?"

"Vee!" Alex nodded, accepting the fact that Eevee was hungry, and wanted food NOW. Walking down the hall of the pokemon center, Alex kept her eyes open and searching for her friends. By the time she had made it to the food court, she had not spotted either Charlotte or Raye, and honestly hadn't expected to spot Gary, so no let down there. The line for food was short, and she jumped on it quickly to get food for herself, and some for her pokemon. After grabbing a good amount, she walked outside and went searching for a lake or pond. Fifteen minutes later found her by a small lake, with her pokemon eating eagerly. Gyarados was in the lake, with Rhydon and Alakazam in front of him. Venasaur, Arcanine, and Eevee were all under a tree with Alex, watching the others carefully. Primeape and the others had been left at the lab for a much deserved break.

"We have about a week before the Conference starts guys." The pokemon by the lake looked over, Rhydon and Alakazam drawing closer, while Gyarados swam as close as possible. They all nodded determinedly, Eevee really unaware of what was going on around her. She was only really a baby after all, newly hatched when she was given to Alex. Instead of battling, she was really just here to look cute and cheer the others on, more often than not, Alex brought in a different pokemon in her place.

"I think we'll do good, you've all worked really hard, and everyone at the lab is ready if we need them." The pokemon gave various cries of agreement, and settled down around their trainer to eat their food in peace. They stayed at the lake for nearly an hour so they could enjoy some fresh air, and then they were all recalled so Alex could search for her friends. Alex walked around the town slowly, searching the crowds of trainers carefully for her elusive friends. She knew they were here, she heard they were from her father, who had kept tabs on the participating trainers. It was around noon that her luck changed, and Alex found the ones she was searching for...or they found her.

"OH...MY...GOD...ALEX!" The next thing Alex knew, Raye was attached to her back, and Eevee was shaking under a nearby bench in absolute terror. Charlotte walked over quietly, but a large grin was on her face as she saw her friend. Alex laughed in a strained tone, because how easy was it to laugh with around eighty pounds on your back?

"Raye, I need to breath, and you've scarred Eevee for life." Raye jumped off, a sheepish grin on her face as she held her hand out to Alex. After being pulled from the ground, Alex bent down by the bench and coaxed Eevee out from hiding gently. The little brown fox trotted out, and then threw itself into Alex's arms with a squeak of fear at seeing Raye.

"Eevee ee, vee vee!" Holding the trembling brown mass of fur, Alex sighed. Raye looked confused, while Charlotte seemed amused. Eevee peeked out from the safety of Alex's arms, and squealed when she realized Raye was still there, and standing close to her trainer.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad am I?" Alex laughed, and held Eevee close as they started to walk down the road.

"Well think of it like this, we were walking along all nice and quiet, and then you come out of nowhere screaming and attack me. I don't think Eevee's tiny little heart could handle it." Raye huffed, but did not drag the subject any farther. Charlotte had been quiet the entire time, listening to her two friends talk as they walked.

"How have you been Alex?" Alex turned and smiled at Charlotte, who was watching her quietly.

"Good, I managed to get the rest of my badges, and I was paid decently for my services of lab sitting. My dad gave me some pokemon, so I now have Eevee, Gyarados, Rhydon, and Alakazam." Charlotte nodded, listening as Alex recounted some of her stories from her four months away. The stories ranged from how Arcanine evolved, to how Venasaur beat the crud out of a burglar who attempted to break into the lab. They talked for a few hours, walking around the town slowly as they did. Eventually, Charlotte and Raye had to leave to train, and Alex was left alone with her Eevee, who was still shaking slightly.

"Oh come on, Raye isn't that scary."

"Eevee."

"She is not terrifying, you're just a sissy."

"Vee ee!"

"Yes, I just called you a sissy, deal with it." Eevee's ears drooped, and she looked up at her trainer sadly. Alex could be so mean to her sometimes, but she loved the girl dearly. Perking herself back up, Eevee looked about in curiosity, searching for something she could cause mischief with. You see, when Eevee was bored, such as now, she found ways to amuse herself. The thing was, these ways weren't always safe...or in the parameter of rules her trainer set up to keep her and everyone else safe. For example, she once hid a tack in a rug and waited to see who would step on it. Unfortunately, it was Rhydon who stepped on it, and it was the tack that was injured, not him. In fact, Rhydon was quite angry, and seemed to know right away it was Eevee who had put the tack there...that was one of the scariest days of her short life. If there was something she took away from that, it was the fact that Rhydon could run extremely fast when angered, and hurl boulders at the same time.

"Vee..." Alex glanced at Eevee, who had moved to her shoulder a short time ago. Her eye twitched when she saw the bored look on the fox's face, and she started a search to find something to amuse the fox with; a bored Eevee was a dangerous Eevee.

"So you're back..." Freezing in her tracks, Alex turned and looked over the shoulder not occupied by a mischevious pokemon. Gary stood a short distance away, staring at her with a blank look on his face.

"Yeah..." She wasn't sure what to do really. Should she say something, or wait for him to say something?

"You didn't tell me you were leaving." Gary's hand ran through his hair, and Alex suppressed a smile. Gary was nervous, and that meant he had missed her.

"My dad asked me a couple hours before I had to leave. I only had time to pack before I had to go." Eevee watched the trainers interact curiously. She really couldn't understand what they were talking about, but their emotions were strong.

"Hm. Well, you're back now, so I can actually get a decent battle from someone." Alex grinned as Gary turned his nose up in a snobbish manner. He was acting, she could tell, and to be honest he sucked at it.

"You sure you didn't just miss me Oak?" Gary twitched, his cheeks turning a light pink at Alex's mocking words. A moment later, he had composed himself, and was smirking at her snobbishly.

"Nah, you're just put up a good fight. Now I don't have to go too far looking for a good battle." Alex sighed, and shook her head in annoyance. Sometimes, Gary was so stubborn.

"Whatever Gary, you believe what you want." Gary blinked in surprise. Alex had just blown off his subtle yet still existent offer to battle...and now she was walking away.

"Where are you going?!" Alex smirked as she heard Gary scramble after her in desperation. She knew he would get mad if she walked away. Gary was too used to getting his way, and here she was denying him it yet again.

"Well, I'm not going to just sit here and listen to you drone on, so I'm going to find someone to battle." Gary growled, and darted in front of Alex and stepped into her path. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he was glaring at her with a serious look on his face.

"You can't just disappear for five months, come back, and then walk away from me. If you want a battle, then I'll battle you." Alex smirked inwardly, while she retained a blank expression on her face. This was what she wanted, Gary was a better battler when angry, and she had successfully pissed him off.

"Alright then, chose your pokemon." Gary nodded, and pulled a pokeball off his belt in preparation. Keeping her eyes on Gary, Alex ran her fingers along her belt until she came up to her third pokeball. Both trainers tossed their balls up into the air and released their pokemon. Nidorino had fully evolved in her time away, and Rhydon was standing across from a large Nidoking. Alex was not surprised, she had been away for four months after all. Thankfully, she had taken time to carefully select Rhydon's moves. It had taken some time, and a few TMs, but her Rhydon was ready. His moves consisted of Horn Drill, Earthquake, Ice Beam, which he had learned from a TM, and Take Down.

"Are we going to just stand here, or are you going to make a move?" Alex grinned in satisfaction as Gary yelled over to her from across the field. She was pissing him off even more, and it was getting really amusing. Rhydon shook his head in anticipation, and turned his head to eye his trainer.

"Alright then Gary, you sure you're ready?" Gary rolled his eyes, and growled in exasperation.

"Yes, now make a move before I do!" Alex nodded, and then turned to her Rhydon.

"Alright Rhydon, use take down!" Rhydon flexed it's muscles and roared in response to his trainer's command. Then, he turned to Nidoking and started to charge, his feet crashing against the ground as he went.

"Nidoking, use Horn Attack!" Nidoking grunted, and lowered his head to Rhydon's charging body. Running at the rock pokemon, Nidoking gave a roar of his own just as they were about to collide. A moment later, the two crashed together with a large bang, knocking both to the ground.

"Rhydon, get up and use earthquake!" Rhydon pushed against Nidoking, serving to pin him down while also helping himself up.

"Nidoking, use mega punch!" Nidoking's arm swung about, and his fist glowed white. Aiming for Rhydon's chest, Nidoking thrust his fist forward and smashed it into the drill pokemon. Rhydon gave a roar of pain, as a fighting move was super effective against rock pokemon.

"Rhydon, get away from him!" Rhydon shoved Nidoking away, and backed up slowly. Stopping in front of his trainer, Rhydon growled lowly at Nidoking, who had returned to his side of the field as well.

"Alright Rhydon, use ice beam!" Gary blinked in surprise. As far as he knew, rock types could not learn ice moves. His theory was proven to be flase however, when Rhydon's jaws opened, and a ball of blue energy started to gather between them. This was not good, the ice move would be super effective against his Nidoking, so he had to act fast.

"Nidoking, dodge it!" Nidoking growled, and ducked as the beam came his way. Shooting over his head, Gary was forced to duck as well, or risk being turned into an icicle. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, Gary stood again slowly. So Alex was taking the liberty of using TMs was she? Maybe he should invest in a few, it would do his strategy some good.

"Nidoking, use dig!" Nidoking growled, and then started to burrow away at the ground quickly. He disappeared into a hole, and Alex tensed as she realized Rhydon was open to any attack coming his way. Rhydon whipped his head about, searching for the poison/ground type pokemon in desperation. A moment later, the ground under Rhydon exploded, and the rock pokemon was sent flying with a cry of shock. He crashed into the ground a few feet away, and both trainers were forced to brace themselves when the earth shook from his weight.

"Rhyhorn, get up and use earthquake!" Rhydon growled as he shoved himself up, and quickly smashed his foot into the ground as hard as he could. The ground under the trainers and pokemon started to shake, and Nidoking called out in alarm as it began to crack around him. Slices of rock shot up, and a few collided with his large purple body. Nidoking cried out in pain, and leaned against one of the rocks in an effort of keeping from fainting.

"Nidoking, use dig again!" Getting up from the pillar Nidoking burrowed underground once more, kicking dirt up everywhere as he went.

"Rhydon, use earthquake again to draw it out!" Rhydon prepared to start the ground shaking once more, raising his foot as high as he could.

"Nidoking, come up and use Mega Punch!" The ground in front of Rhydon swelled as Nidoking made his way to the surface. A moment later, he punched through and jumped up out of the hole. His fist was glowing white once more, and he rammed it forward, right into Rhydon's face. Rhydon yowled in pain, and stumbled back from Nidoking, clutching his face. Alex watched with worry clear on her features as Rhydon stumbled about, ramming into things as he went. When he finally stilled, he pulled his hands away from his face and glared at Nidoking weakly. It was obvious Rhydon had no energy left to fight, having taken two direct super effective attacks to his body. Hanging her head in defeat, Alex raised Rhydon's pokeball.

"Rhydon, return. You did great and deserve a rest." The red beam absorbed Rhydon's large body as he growled in appreciation at his trainer. He was tired, and didn't want to keep fighting. Gary returned Nidoking, and slowly made his way over to Alex, who was clipping Rhydon's pokeball onto her belt.

"You did pretty good...most people don't last long against Nidoking, and you managed to hit him with earthquake, and that did some good damage." Alex nodded slightly, a frown set on her face as she listened. The two stood in silence for a moment, and then turned and examined their surroundings. They had done some pretty bad damage to their battle field...which was the middle of a road. Both of them sweat dropped as they took in just exactly what they had done to the innocent road. Two large and gaping holes showed where Nidoking had used dig, and a sheet of ice served as a remain to Rhydon's ice beam. Some large pillars of rock stuck out from the road, blocking it's middle rather nicely, and to top it all off, there was a large indent where Nidoking and Rhydon had collided in the beginning of their match.

"I say we walk away and play dumb, because I really don't want to get kicked out for this." Gary nodded slowly, and the two turned and walked from the disaster site quickly. A few corner turns later, they slowed down to a more comfortable pace, and walked along the street idly. The silence was calm, and the tense air from before had disappeared in favor of peace. They walked along quietly, not knowing where exactly they were going, but just walking.

"So what happened while I was away?" Gary shrugged a shoulder, and continued to stare forward.

"Not much, everyone got their badges all right, and spent the last few months training for the Conference." Alex nodded, and closed her eyes half way as they walked together. It was times like this, when Gary was actually quiet and didn't give her an attitude, that she enjoyed the most.

"What did you get for watching the lab?" Alex sucked in a deep breath, and then let it out through her nose.

"My dad gave me Eevee, Abra, Magikarp, and Rhyhorn. I have Gyarados, Rhydon, and Alakazam, but the last only because I traded and traded back with a kid to help him evolve his Machoke." Gary snorted, a smirk on his face as she talked. Somehow, he could see her doing that, just so she could help the kid. She wouldn't have done it if the other kid didn't get anything out of it.

"So now you have four new pokemon...what are you evolving Eevee into?" Alex smiled, her eyes glittering as she thought it over. She knew exactly what she was evolving Eevee into, after she had talked to her dad about it. Turning to Gary, her smile morphed into an evil grin.

"It's a secret." Gary rose an eyebrow at the sing-song way she had talked. Shaking his head, Gary decided to let the subject drop. Considering she was from Hoenn, she obviously knew of many more species of pokemon than him. For now, he would let her keep her secret, but he would find out soon, he knew it. Glancing at Alex out of the corner of his eye, Gary let a small, rare smile come onto his face. For now, he would enjoy the fact she was back; he had been shockingly upset when she left, and was happy to see her again. He could antagonize her later, right now he wanted to just enjoy her company without arguing with her.

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**There, done. Hey, did you guys know that Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and Rhydon are all the same species? They're all Drill Pokemon, does that mean they're related some how? I don't know, if I try to think it out, it'll confuse me. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and goodday.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry it took so long. I've been working on another story, which I have to finish typing the last chapter for. I can never seem to write a story without adding an OC, no matter what type it is! Oh well, it's my way of writing, and I'm very comfortable with it. You know, whenever I look at Gary's hair, I tell myself 'I could swear it's color is somewhere around Burnt Sienna'. I mean, it has both brown and red in it, so it makes sense doesn't it?.Anyway, here we go with chapter 12 of Through Alex's Eyes. Oh yeah, ignore my rambling, I had sugar today.**

**Disclaimer: I own Alex only, the others belong to other authors, and the plot is really public property, which is why I get to use it.**

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Alex ran her fingers along the fur of Eevee's back gently. She had just come out of her second round match victorious, after battling with a ground based trainer. Really, the poor guy's pokemon didn't stand a chance against Gyarados. Said water snake was taking a well deserved rest in his pokeball, while Alex watched the rest of the competetors. Eevee was purring away contentedly, as Alex waited for the third round to start. Gary and all her friends had already won their matches, so these ones just bored her to no limits.

"And Aleisha's Victreebell goes down, meaning Susan is the winner of this match! Ladies and gentlemen, the second round of matches is now over, and we will now display the trainers going on to our third round." Glancing up at the scoreboard, Alex watched as sixty four trainers' faces popped up onto the screen. Hers was twelfth, with Raye as sixteenth, Charlotte as thirty second, and Gary as the twenty first. Surprisingly, Ash had made his way onto the list, as well as Hiro, who Alex had the displeasure of running into again yesterday. Being the multi-talented jerk he was, he managed to piss not only her off, but Raye, Charlotte, and Gary as well. The three had run into her stalkerish rival early on in the day, and invited him to walk to the stadium with them. Once they reached the large building, they saw Hiro outside, and were spotted at almost the same time. Needless to say, he seemed to have a great urge to piss the world off, and walked over to them.

Now, in her time away, Gary and Hiro seemed to have developed a great hate for each other. So when Hiro came over and started to speak to them, Alex could feel the daggers of death coming from Gary. Hiro also seemed to be aware of them, and turned to glare at her rival. And then, they were stuck there for close to fifteen minutes while those two had a macho match trying to see who was better. Gary kicked his butt, much like she had thought he would. Don't get her wrong, she didn't completely hate Hiro, she just had more faith in Gary. Maybe it was because she had a crush on her rival? Regardless, all she saw their match as was a giant waist of time. But that wasn't the end of it...Hiro turned and actually started to flirt with her somewhat. Of course, this was to piss off Gary (it turned out to be very successful...) but it was still unnerving.

"I thought you would be happier about getting past the second round." Alex turned to look at Charlotte out of the corner of her eye. The red-head was looking ahead, watching the match ups for the next round of matches.

"I am, but I'm not going to be jumping up and down squealing." Charlotte laughed quietly at Alex's dry response. The four months seemed to have matured Alex, if only slightly. Now, Alex seemed calmer, and didn't hop around yelling as much. It also may just be nerves from being here at the Conference, but Charlotte was fairly sure it wasn't that. She had faith in her friend: Alex had to mature one day, even if it would take years...

"So what pokemon are you using in the third round?" Charlotte leaned back, and ran her list of pokemon through her mind. If she used Charizard, then she would have to leave Arcanine out, since that was one fire type to many. Diversity was the key to getting far in the Conference, so repeating types was a major set back. Using Sandslash would be a bad idea too, since that also made water a big problem. Nidoqueen was at least half poison, so she had a better chance against water types than Sandslash.

"I think I might use Charizard, Nidoqueen, and Golduck, but I'm not entirely sure yet." Alex nodded to herself. She already knew she was using Alakazam, Venasaur, and Arcanine. Venasaur would be the tanker of the team, since he had a rather large amount of health. Arcanine and Alakazam would deal with most of the attacks. If she played her cards right, she could use their stats together, and pull another win.

"I'm going to be using Arcanine, Alakazam, and Venasaur. Alakazam's special attack is good, so his psychic attacks should be pretty powerful. I can use Arcanine's speed, and he should be useful against any ice, grass, or bug types. The only problem there are any water, ground, or rock types. Venasaur can take out them though, so we should be good, and he has high defense." Charlotte listened as Alex rambled on. She had obviously been planning this out since she won her match. As far as she knew, none of them had seen Alex's Alakazam, so it should be interesting to watch it battle.

"You know there is a chance they will choose the water field, so Arcanine will be of no real use there. Gyarados's pokeball should be kept as back up, just in case." Alex stopped talking and stared off into space to think. Charlotte was right, so far the rock and grass fields had been used, which left only the water and ice to be used. Her Gyarados was really her only pokemon that would be effective on those fields, though not so much on the ice as the water.

"Yeah...so I guess I'm going to have to replace Arcanine with Gyarados. Most trainers will probably use a water pokemon, so Arcanine will only get in trouble." Charlotte nodded her head as Alex puzzled everything out. It made sense; many of the trainers would probably try to use a pokemon that has a type advantage to their field. People were slowly leaving the stadium, as the next round would not begin until tomorrow. Getting up from their seats, Alex and Charlotte quickly followed the crowd of dispersing people.

-_-_-_-The Next Day-_-_-_-

Alex frowned lightly as she stepped out onto the field. The judges had chosen to go with the water field, and there was only a bit of land that was in the very center. Gyarados would be fine in the water, but Venasaur and Alakazam would only have a limited amount of room to move. This would be a difficult battle, but they would manage. Stepping onto her designated spot, Alex waited patiently for the other trainer to join her and the referee on the field.

Soon, a girl walked up to the platform across from her, and Alex couldn't help being slightly intimidated. This girl had long white hair, and piercing grey eyes. Her red shirt was nearly hidden under a black hoodie, which hung to the girl's upper thighs. Baggy dark grey pants reached the floor, and Alex could see the tips of black sneakers poking out from under. All in all, she gave Alex the creeps, and that was a feat in itself, considering the types of characters she knew.

"This is a battle between Alex of Littleroot Town, and Yuki of Viridian City. There is a three pokemon limit, and trainers may switch out pokemon at any time. Begin!" Both trainers pulled a pokeball from their belt and tossed it up into the air. Alakazam emerged from his ball, and landed on the ground with a cry of determination. From Yuki's pokeball came a Gengar, which stared at Alakazam with an unsettling grin on it's face. Alex gulped, and quickly tried to think of a strategy; Alakazam was weak against ghost types.

"Gengar, use shadow punch!" Gengar's fist was covered in a dark cloud, and it suddenly threw it forward. Alex knew the attack was unavoidable, and watched helplessly as Alakazam was hit with the ghost move. Stumbling back, Alakazam held the injured arm tightly, waiting for orders from his trainer. Thinking her situation over carefully, Alex turned to Alakazam.

"Alakazam, use psybeam!" Jumping up, the psychic pokemon bent it's spoons and shot a multi-colored beam of light at the ghost. The good news was that Alakazam was as super effective against Gengar as it was against him.

"Gengar, dodge and use shadow punch!" Moving to the left, Gengar avoided Alakazam's attack easily. Turning to the psychic pokemon, the cloud started to gather as Gengar glared. A moment later, he launched his attack, and slammed it into Alakazam's chest. Alakazam started to whip about, trying to shake off the sudden pain it caused.

"Alakazam, use psychic!" Stopping his movements, Alakazam turned and glared evilly at Gengar. Lifting it's arms, it bent it's spoons once more, and aimed it's attack at the ghost. Gengar clutched it's head in pain, and stumbled as it tried to move away from Alakazam.

"Gengar, use Hypnosis!" Gengar turned and glared at Alakazam with it's eyes glowing. Alakazam's eyelids drooped, as he made a valiant effort to stay awake. A moment later, his head fell against his chest, and he collapsed to the ground breathing lightly. Alex stared in horror as her pokemon fell asleep, a sense of helplessness coming from her situation.

"Alakazam, get up!"

"Use dream eater Gengar!" Gengar grinned, and his eyes glowed once more. Alakazam cried out in his sleep, as an orb of white rose from his head. The orb flew over to Gengar, who quickly pushed it into it's mouth.

"Alakazam, wake up!" There was no response from her faithful pokemon, and Alex groaned in frustration. She would not switch out and risk another of her pokemon being put to sleep like Alakazam.

"Use shadow punch again Gengar." Gengar's fist was covered with the eerie black cloud once again as it prepared it's attack. Throwing it's fist forward once more, Gengar launched the attack into Alakazam, who made no sound as it hit him in his sleep. Alex bit her bottom lip lightly, and tried calling out to Alakazam once more.

"Come on Alakazam, I need you to wake up!" A slight stirring from her pokemon made Alex's spirits lift slightly. Alakazam's eyes cracked open, and it lifted it's body from the ground with a slight struggle. Turning to his trainer, Alakazam shot her a confused look. She pointed behind him, and he turned to see Gengar standing across from him. Waking from his daze, Alakazam remembered just exactly where he was, and what he was supposed to be doing.

"Alakazam, use psychic and put everything you have into it!" Raising his arms, Alakazam started to gather his energy to his mind. He was going to put as much as he could into this attack, and make his trainer proud.

"Gengar, use destiny bond!" Gengar's eyes glowed an eerie purple, and a ring of the same color appeared around Alakazam. Alex panicked slightly, but knew there was no way she could stop Alakazam's attack. After having finally gathered as much power as possible, Alakazam launched it at Gengar, making Yuki smirk evilly. The ghost pokemon put it's head in it's hands, and froze for a moment. Then, it fell over and fainted, and Alakazam went with it when the ring compressed into his body.

"This battle is a draw, and there is no victor, send out your next pokemon." Alex returned Alakazam with a sullen expression, and then pulled Gyarados' pokeball from her belt. Tossing the ball into the air, Alex watched as Yuki did the same with the ball she pulled out. When the light faded, her Gyarados was swimming in front of her, while a Wheezing was floating in front of Yuki. The two stared at each other for a moment, and then prepared to attack.

"Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!" Diving under the water, Gyarados disappeared momentarily. Then, he burst up at the edge of the small island, and shot a strong torrent of water at Wheezing.

"Dodge it Weezing, and use smog!" The poison pokemon floated down, and then opened it's mouth. Thick purple smoke poured from it's mouth, covering the entire field. Grayados roared in confusion, and thrashed it's head around.

"Gyarados, go under water!" Obeying his trainer, Gyarados dove under the water, escaping the dark purple smoke.

"Heh, thanks; Weezing, use thunder!" Alex's eyes widened as the poison pokemon started to charge. Gyarados was a flying/water type, which meant that an electric attack would be super effective.

"Gyarados, quick come back up and use hyper beam!" A shadow appeared in the water, and Gyarados broke the surface with a roar. Charging the golden beam in his mouth, Gyarados faced Weezing with an angry expression. Weezing's attack finished charging first, and it released the electricity into the water. Gyarados roared in pain as the electricity ran through it's body, augmented by the water surrounding him. As soon as the current stopped, Gyarados fell forward onto the island, fainted. Alex stared at Gyarados with wide eyes, not believing her pokemon was beaten so easily.

"The victor of this battle is Yuki of Viridian City!" Pulling out Gyarados' pokeball, Alex returned him with a neutral expression. Grasping her last pokeball, Alex stared at it blankly. Venasaur was her last hope, or she would loose. She had faith in her pokemon, but Weezing was resistant to grass types, they only did a little damage. Tossing the ball into the air, Alex prayed silently she would come through. It would be embarrassing to loose so early on in the competition, and in front of her friends and Gary no less.

"Alright Venasaur, start out by using solar beam!" Venasaur's flower started to glow white as it gathered energy from the sun. Yuki shook her head, and smirked lightly at Alex from across the field.

"Use smog and block the sunlight Weezing." Weezing opened it's mouth once more, and the same purple smoke came pouring out. It coated the field, and Alex could hear Venasaur calling out in alarm as it could no longer feel the sun on it's petals. Shaking her head, Alex tried to think fast. Yuki was backing her into a corner, but if she got nervous, she was going to loose anyway.

"Venasaur, use sweet scent!" Venasaur shook it's flower, and the smoke around it was pushed away as the pugnant smell filled the air. Weezing sniffed the air lightly, and the grinned with pleasure and continued. Yuki glared across the field at Alex, and fisted her hand tighlty.

"Now Venasaur, finish charging solar beam!" Gathering the rest of the required sunlight, Venasaur opened it's mouth and shot the white beam at Weezing. It hit the poison type in the face, throwing it back against Yuki's platform. Yuki stuck her arms out to steady herself as the platform shook from the impact. Weezing was stunned for a moment, but then floated back into the air with a disgruntled expression on it's face.

"Weezing, get in close and use self destruct!" Weezing started to drift over to Venasaur, and glare on it's faces as it went.

"Venasaur, use hyper beam and get it away!" Pausing when it was in Venasaur's face, Weezing started to glow white. Venasaur opened his mouth, and began to gather the golden energy to fire at the poison type. Both trainers watched anxiously, waiting to see which pokemon was going to attack first. Suddenly, Venasaur shot his attack at Weezing, sending the pokemon a few feet from it's face when it exploded. Venasaur was caught in the edge of the attack, getting mildly damaged, while Weezing fell into the water below.

"The victor of this battle is Alex of Littleroot Town!" Yuki returned her Weezing, and pulled out her last pokemon. Tossing it into the air, she waited patiently for her final resort to appear. When the light faded, it left a Lapras in it's wake. The turtle pokemon called out happily, and smacked it's flippers against the water.

"Lapras, use ice beam!" Turning to Venasaur, Lapras opened it's mouth and shot a beam of ice in his direction.

"Venasaur, dodge and get ready to use solar beam!" Venasaur shifted to the right, and directed it's flower to the sun. The petals started to glow white once more, and Venasaur growled a warning in Larpas' direction.

"Lapras, use hydro pump!" Rearing it's head back, Lapras shot a plume of water towards Venasaur.

"Venasaur, use solar beam!" Venasaur's mouth opened, and it shot the white beam towards Lapras. Lapras dove under water, dodging the attack with little effort.

"Lapras, use perish song!" Coming up from the lake, Lapras stared at Venasaur momentarily. Then, it began to sing in high pitched notes, with an eerie tone to it's song. Venasaur seemed to be in a trance as it listened intently, never taking it's eyes off of Lapras.

"Venasaur, snap out of it and use sweet scent!" Venasaur ignored Alex, too focused on the water pokemon. A moment later, Lapras stopped singing, and stared at Venasaur with it's black eyes shining.

"Now Lapras, use sing and put Venasaur to sleep!" Opening it's mouth once more, Lapras sucked in air to start it's song.

"Venasaur, use earthquake!" Lifting it's front leg, Venasaur slammed it into the ground, making the entire field shake. Lapras cried out in alarm as waves started to churn, and slam into it's body violently.

"Lapras, go underwater and wait for it to stop!" Diving under the waves, Lapras swam down to the bottom of the lake. The waves soon dissipated on the surface, and the water pokemon returned and started to sing. Venasaur's eyes drooped, and it's head started to bob as it fought to remain awake.

"No, Venasaur, use solar beam!" Venasaur attempted to gather sunlight for the fourth time, but fell asleep half way through.

"Alright, Lapras, use ice beam!" Lapras opened it's mouth, and started to gather the ice between it's jaws. Having the attack ready quickly, it fired it at Venasaur, who was unable to dodge because it was asleep. The beam collided with the top of Venasaur's head, and the grass pokemon unconciously tried to shift away from the attack.

"Venasaur, don't do this to me, Alakazam already did!" Unaware of Alex's cries, Venasaur continued to sleep on, content not to do a thing.

"Hydro pump Lapras!" A sudden rush of water slammed into Venasaur, knocking him onto his side. The grass pokemon slept on peacefully, and Alex hung her head, knowing there was no way she was winning at this point. Venasaur would either faint from perish song, or Lapras would faint it with another attack. A moment later, Venasaur's eyes snapped open, and it cried out in pain before collapsing to the ground; perish song had taken it's effect.

"This battle goes to Yuki of Viridian City, who is the victor of the match!" Alex returned Venasaur, and slowly walked off the platform. She honestly hadn't expected to win the Conference, but she had hoped to make it farther than this. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Yuki waving to the crowd, who were cheering madly. Shaking her head, Alex walked over to the door leading to the waiting room, where she would meet Charlotte, Raye, and Gary. The only reason she was staying now was to watch her friends' matches. Once everything was over, she would be heading home for about a week, and then setting out for Jhoto.

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**There you go, chapter 12. I know there's not anything amazingly important besides Alex loosing, but this is an essential turning point in Alex's career as a trainer. It will be explained better next chapter. Again, sorry for the wait, and have a good night.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Wow it's been a long time. I just haven't had the motivation to work on the story. I'm not spitting out some bullshit excuse why, I just didn't feel like it. Anyway, let's get to work:**

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to?**

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Alex watched Gary's battle in a tense silence. He was loosing pretty badly, as Melissa's Golem was kicking Nidoking's ass. It had looked like the fight was going in Gary's favour at first, but the tides had turned pretty quickly. They were around ten minutes into the fight, and Nidoking was starting to weaken. Golem growled at Nidoking daringly, mocking the large purple pokemon. Taking the dare, Nidoking charged forward with a roar, lowering his head. His intent to ram Golem was clear, and Alex leaned forward in her seat with bated breath.

"Nidoking, stop!" Alex winced in sympathy at the anger in Gary's voice. Nidoking had been taunted throughout the whole fight by Golem, and apparently enough was enough. Melissa only smirked in satisfaction, and motioned her Golem forward.

"Use earthquake Golem!" Golem lifted it's leg, and slammed it into the ground harshly. Nidoking stumbled at the impact, faltering in his charge. Then, he seemed to regain his bearings, and dodged about the spikes of rock shooting up from the ground. He returned to rushing Golem, snorting in anger as his eyes locked on the boulder like pokemon.

"Well if you insist on this, then use horn attack!" Nidoking snorted in anger, and picked up his pace as he rushed Golem. Melissa only stood by waiting, knowing the attack would have little effect. When Nidoking eventually reached Golem, and tackled it head on, he was thrown back. He crashed to the floor, smashing the stone under him with his weight. Golem stood over him with a leer on it's face, and grunted out laughter at the weaker pokemon.

"Nidoking, get up and use mega punch!" Nidoking pushed himself up with an angry roar, and struck out at Golem. The attack hit the rock pokemon in the side, and Golem was forced back by the blow. A low growl escaped him, and he glared evilly at Nidoking. Melissa's amuesment seemed to have died out, and her expression immitated her pokemon's, only directed at Gary.

"Golem, use take down." Golem rushed forward, as fast as his heavy body would allow. A few feet from Nidoking, it randomly threw itself onto the ground pokemon, crashing into him violently. Nidoking cried out in pain as he was thrown back, landing on the ground once more, while Golem landed on him. Alex had to pity Nidoking, a Golem weighed around 660 lbs, much more than Nidoking's 135. She was surprised there was no outward sign of injury, as Nidoking merely shoved himself up once Golem got off him.

"Nidoking, use horn drill!" Growling in frustration, Nidoking lowered his head and rushed at Golem. His horn started to spin, slow at first, and then faster and faster. She knew that if that were to hit Golem, it would be a one hit KO. Leaning forward, Alex watched eagerly as Nidoking charged. Charlotte, who was sitting beside her, shook her head at Alex's wide eyed expression. Really, on the battle field, Alex was all business, off it, she was a goof.

"Golem, ice punch!" Gary gritted his teeth as Golem pulled it's fist back. Nidoking was getting closer to the rock pokemon, and his horn was spinning faster than ever. Just as the horn was about to slam into Golem's hide, it rushed it's fist forward and punched Nidoking in the back. A cry of shocked pain came from Nidoking, and he collapsed onto the ground, his eyes closed. Gary stared in shock at his pokemon, his eyes bulging slightly.

"The victor of this battle is Melissa of Cinnibar Island!" The referee held the flag in his right hand up above his head. There were yells and cheers from the crowed, all rooting for Melissa, who returned Golem calmly. Gary returned Nidoking with a dazed expression, his eyes unfoucsed. Alex saw his expression and bit her lip in worry, wondering just what might be bothering the boy. You don't always win in a battle, especially ones like this.

"I'll be back Charlotte, wait here." Charlotte nodded, too busy waiting for the next match to really notice the worry in Alex's tone. If she had paid closer attention, she would have seen Alex watch Gary disappear into the trainer's lounge, and quickly follow him. Alex hurried down the hall, walking as fast as she could. By the time she had reached the lounge, Gary had disappeared, and was nowhere to be found. A trainer had said they saw him walk down the hall to the exit, and Alex quickly darted after him.

"Gary, where are you?" Her calls only echoed in the empty hall, bouncing back at her mockingly. A door at the very end of the hall was cracked open slightly, and Alex walked towards it. Pushing it open, she found herself on the outside of the stadium, a small forest in front of her. She could hear someone walking through ahead of her, and dived in after them. If it was Gary, she wasn't going to leave him alone. The expression on his face from earlier was worrying. She had never seen such a look on his face before.

"Gary, is that you?" No answer came from the person ahead, and Alex continued to follow. A few minutes later, she came up on a clearing, and gave a relieved sigh when she saw it was indeed Gary ahead of her. He was staring at the water of a small pond blankly, not acknowledging her presence in the slightest. She walked over quietly, and sat beside him in silence. There was a look to his eyes that told her he was thinking right now, so she would leave him to his thoughts.

The two sat in silence for nearly half an hour. Gary did not say anything, and Alex did not push him to. There was a certain peace about the place, and Alex felt herself closing her eyes to enjoy the feel of nature about her. She would have sent her pokemon out, but that might have disturbed Gary, and she wanted to let him think. Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, Alex tried to hold back a blush that fought to let itself free. So far, she had not gotten any chances to get herself over Gary, but she was starting to wonder if she really wanted to.

"Why did I lose so badly?" The sudden question made Alex jump, and she turned to look at Gary, who was still looking in the pond. His eye darted to her quickly, and then returned to the water when he realized she was staring at him.

"I really don't know Gary, I guess she just had more experience." A sigh escaped Gary's lips, and he did not answer for a moment.

"No....it's my fault." Alex eyed Gary warily. He had never blamed his failure on himself, he had always pushed the blame on others. Gary did not meet her eyes, as if ashamed to let anyone see him.

"What do you mean?" He shrugged his shoulder, not in confusion, but to just move some part of his body, to relieve a portion of the pent up emotions.

"I pushed my pokemon too hard. They thought the only thing that mattered to me was winning." Alex tilted her head, and listened to him carefully. His words hit a cord in her heart, and she shook her head.

"No, your pokemon fought that hard because they love you Gary." Gary scoffed, a slightly desperate tone in the sound.

"He pushed himself too hard Alex. I could have really gotten him hurt." Alex leaned back on her hands slightly. She stared up at the sky with a neutral expression, and then turned to Gary with a smile.

"So, just don't let it happen again." Gary turned to her with a confused expression. His eyes were clouded over with troubled emotions, and Alex held her smile in place, encouraging him to agree.

"What do you mean?" Letting a breath out through her nose, Alex thought her response over carefully.

"Well, a really nice man once told me 'a pokemon's strength is not judged based upon the damage they do to their opponent, or the power of their attacks, rather on the bond they share with their trainers. A pokemon who's trainer takes good care of it, and always meets it's wants and needs will always put more effort into a battle than one who is only ever constantly trained'. That's something I've kept in the back of my mind my entire journey, and I found out it helps me a lot. I have a really good bond with my pokemon, and they put a lot of effort into battle." Gary stared at her with a slightly wondering expression.

"Is that why you wouldn't fight me back in Pewter?" Alex laughed, and nodded her head. Gary only stared at her for a moment, before smiling lightly and laughing under his breath.

"You may think that doing that makes your pokemon weak, but it doesn't. In fact, they get stronger, just to help you. Gary, if your pokemon love you, don't you think they would try harder, just for you?" Gary sat back slightly, now leaning on an angle like Alex. She was watching him with knowing eyes, a small smile on her face as she waited for his answer. He had to admit she's definitely matured the last few months; she no longer called him a jerk.

"Probably, but wouldn't they be so obssesed with impressing you, they would concentrate more on looking good than doing good?" Alex sighed and shook her head in irritation. Gary just had to argue with everything she said, didn't he?

"Not necessarily. Granted, they would put a lot of effort into impressing you, but wouldn't winning a battle impress you too?" Gary seemed to realize the point she was making, and nodded his head in understanding. It made sense, a pokemon usually tries to earn praise from their trainer by trying harder.

"Yeah, I guess so....hey Alex?" She turned to him with a smile, and tilted her head.

"Yeah?" Gary looked at her from the corner of his eye, a smile making it's way onto his face, lighting up his eyes cheerfully.

"Thanks." There was no need to elaborate, they understood the meaning behind the word. Alex laid back on the ground, Gary following her example a moment later. Both liad next to each other, staring up at the sky in silence. For some reason, Alex felt would be a change in Gary after this. He was going to start acting differently, she could tell. Closing her eyes, Alex let herself relax. If Gary was changing, then she was going to help him, and stay his friend no matter what.

-_-_-_-One Month Later-_-_-_-

Alex rummaged through her backpack one last time, as she checked she had everything. Tomorrow morning, she would be setting out for the S., a cruise ship that would take her to Jhoto. There, she was going to continue her journey to be a top trainer. It would be a long and hard road, but she was willing to go down it a thousand times. Besides, she would run into her friends sometimes, and get some new ones. She had decided she was going to travel by herself, and bring only Arcanine, Venasaur, and Eevee with her.

Professor Birch watched from the doorway as Alex put any needed items in the bag, muttering under her breath. Her eyes had the same determined glint in them they had when she began her journey back in Kanto. When she had come home, boastfully proclaiming she had made it to the third round of the Conference, he had been confused. He had expected her to be mad about loosing, but she seemed excited and happy when she opened the lab door. She told him that Gary made it to the fourth round, and lost, and how Charlotte and Raye both made it to the fourth round and lost as well. Judging by that, he thought she would be mad her friends did better.

"Silly dad, it just means I have to try harder!" He could still remember the smile on her face when she told him that over dinner that night. After that, she had spent the last month training like mad, and making her pokemon stronger. While watching her, he had felt a sense of pride well up in him. His daughter was chasing after her dream, and was willing to put anything into it.

"Hey dad, what's with you?" Professor Birch blinked, and looked at Alex with slight confusion. She was staring at him in worry, holding her backpack in her hand. He smiled at her and shook his head lightly.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking. You ready to get going tomorrow?" Alex nodded eagerly, and threw her backpack into the chair by her door. She had a happy smile on her face, and ran about her room to get the rest of her things together. In honor of the new region she was going to, Alex had gotten a new travel outfit. The bandanna was now going to be tied about her neck, instead of on her head. A white vest was covering a green polo shirt, with black pants and white and green running shoes. Black fingerless gloves covered her hands.

"I'm so ready! We're gonna so totally kick Jhoto in the butt!" She was jumping about eagerly, fisting her hands and pumping them into the air. Her eyes sparkled with determination, and a confident smirk had replaced the smile. He didn't doubt she would gain at least a little attention down in Jhoto, she was very rambunctious when it came to new things. Shaking his head, Professor Birch laughed, and motioned for Alex to go to bed. A groan came from the wide awake girl, but she complied, kissing her dad on the cheek and climbing into bed.

"Night dad." Professor Birch flicked off the lights, and looked over at Alex with endearment clear in his eyes.

"Goodnight Alex, get some rest." Closing the door, Professor Birch walked down the hall towards his room. He opened the door and walked over to the bed, where he sat down and started to remove his shoes. Raising his eyes, he saw a picture frame on his bedside table, and picked it up gently. In the picture a woman with black hair and dark green eyes was laughing as she was held by a man. The professor recognized himself and his wife when they were younger, and Alex had yet to be born. Raising his finger, he traced it over the woman's face sadly.

"You would have been so proud of her Helen; I know I am." Putting the picture back down, he got up and walked to the door. He opened it, and looked at the picture for a moment. Then, he flicked off the light, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

-_-_-_-The Next Day-_-_-_-

Alex held the strap to her backpack with a vice like grip. She still had the same backpack and hip bag from her Kanto journey, as they were still in pretty good condition. Professor Birch drove the car toward the port, where the S. was docked, waiting for it's passengers. The trees were rolling by in blurs of brown and green, and Alex looked out the window lazily as she waited for them to arrive.

"Are you sure you have everything?" Alex groaned in frustration. He had been asking her that all morning, and after the third time, it was annoying.

"Yes dad, I have everything I need, and no I didn't forget my pokemon. Have a little faith in me, would you?" Professor Birch smiled lightly, and shook his head.

"You know I have faith in you Alex; you just tend to forget things." He seemed to be amused, and she pouted. It wasn't her fault she forgot things when she was excited. It could happen to a lot of people; Raye forgot things all the time.

"I hate you right now." He only laughed, paying attention to the road ahead of them. Alex scoffed, and turned back to the window. Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into the port, and Alex climbed out eagerly. Professor Birch got out as well, and walked with her over to the ship. She turned and hugged him hard, suddenly remembering she would not get a chance to for a long time. Professor Birch returned the hug, feeling a sense of deja vu from when she left on her Kanto journey.

"I'll see you in a couple months dad. You keep an eye on the news, so you know when the next Conference is. This time, I'm making all the way to the top, I promise!" Nodding his head, Professor Birch watched as Alex turned toward the ship. She searched her pockets for something, and then got a panicked look.

"Alex, are you looking for these?" Turning to him, Alex grinned sheepishly as she saw her wallet and ticket. She walked over and took them, nodding to her dad as she did. He only laughed, and pushed her toward the ship as the warning horn sounded.

"Bye dad!" Professor Birch watched as she ran up the stairs, flashing her ticket to the doorman. She disappeared into the large boat, vanishing from his sight. The final horn sounded soon after, and the ship started to pull away from the dock. A moment later, Alex pushed her way through the crowd waving goodbye, and spotted her father on the docks. Waving to him, she grinned eagerly.

"Bye dad, I love you, and I'll call every chance I get!" Raising his hand, Professor Birch waved back to his daughter, feeling a wave of sadness wash over him. Now that she was a trainer, he wasn't able to hang onto her, and had to let her go off on her own. His only assurance of safety was her pokemon, who would protect her with their lives if the situation called for it. The boat was now nothing but a rapidly dissapearing speck on the horizon, but he stayed as he saw it sail from sight. Looking up at the sky, Professor Birch sighed.

"Keep an eye on her Helen, we don't want her hurt after all." Turning away from the ocean, Professor Birch walked back to his car. He put his trust in Alex's pokemon, and his wife to guide his only child to her dreams. Who knows, maybe someday she really would be a top trainer; she certainly had the spirit for it.

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**There you go, chapter 13. I'm in a better mood now, seems I only had to get some writing done to help myself. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter, so let me go plan chapter 14, which should be up around Tuesday or Wednesday.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Yay, I got 2 reviews for the 40 some-odd people who read the chapter! Can't you tell how happy I am? Anyway, over the sarcasm, this is it people: The Jhoto Journies! So, on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Alex, all other OC's belong to other people, the plot is technically public property, and pokemon is owned by the person who created it!**

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The S. had sailed for nearly four days when it finally pulled into port. Looking over the edge of the ship, Alex admired the buildings of the small town. It was a docking town, not too far off from New Bark. She waited until the rush to get off the ship had died down, and then walked over. The air was crisp and clean, and the sun was hanging low in the sky; it was 10:00 in the morning. Once she had stepped foot on the deck, Alex looked about, trying to find some sort of sign. There was only a sign pointing into town, so she followed the direction it was leading her.

Though the town was small, there was no lack of happiness. Many shops had bright, colorful window displays, showing off their products. There were street lamps in the shape of pokeballs, with see through red and white glass. The people of the town were only just getting up, but didn't seem surprised with the sudden in rush of travelers. After twisting and turning around various corners, Alex sighed in defeat. She couldn't find a map store anywhere, and she needed to get heading out. A small shop on the end of the street caught her eye, and she walked over to it cautiously. Taped to the glass of the window, there was a blurry picture of what seemed to be a yellow and black pokemon. It was hard to make out, but as far as she could tell, it was a large, cat like pokemon.

Shaking her head, Alex read the sign above the door. 'Travelers Co.' was painted in big red letters on a wooden sign. Feeling her luck may have changed, she walked over to the door and pushed it in. A small bell jingled above the door, ringing throughout the shop. There was nobody at the counter, so she strolled over to a section that had a lot of booklets, hoping to find a map.

"Hi, how can I help you?" A small shriek escaped her mouth, and she jumped at the sudden voice. Whipping around, she saw a boy around her age, with blond hair and brown eyes. He was watching her with confusion, a stack of books in his hand. Alex grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Heh.....I was just looking for a map of Jhoto." The boy smiled, and grabbed one of the booklets, handing it to her. She quickly opened it, and found a large map of the region, with the cities labeled.

"We don't usually get many people back here." Alex looked up from the booklet and smiled.

"Well, I suck when it comes to direction, so I just wandered back." The boy laughed, and nodded his head.

"Are you a trainer?" He was eyeing her belt, which had her pokeballs clipped to it firmly.

"Yeah, I'm starting my journey through Jhoto today." He nodded, his head, stacking the books into empty spots on the shelf.

"I'm Justin by the way. My aunt and uncle own the shop, and I work here when I have free time." Alex smiled and took the hand he held out.

"My name's Alex, I'm from Hoenn." Justin seemed a little surprised, but smiled non the less.

"That's cool. So you've seen a lot of pokemon that aren't from around here?" Alex nodded absentmindedly.

"I think I've seen almost every pokemon from Kanto and Jhoto, and a lot of the Hoenn pokemon." Justin whistled in astonishment, and then stood. Alex rose with him, and followed him to the cash register.

"Must be nice to go out and journey." Taking the booklet, he rang it up, and Alex quickly paid.

"Then why don't you?" Justin shrugged, handing the bag over.

"I've never really gotten a chance to go. I guess I'm a little nervous about it." Alex took the bag with a smile.

"Well that's not a very good reason. All pokemon trainers are nervous at first, but after you set out, it's really fun. Traveling with pokemon is an amazing thing; you see so much." Justin nodded his head, a far off look in his eyes. Laughing at his look, Alex turned to the door and was about to walk out, when something caught her eye. She could see the piece of paper on the window, and make out the picture from behind.

"Hey Justin?" He snapped out of his daydream, and looked at her.

"Yeah?" Pointing to the picture, Alex turned to face him.

"Just what exactly is that a picture of?" Justin seemed shocked, and stared at her with wide eyes.

"You mean you've never heard of the legendary pokemon Raikou?" When Alex only stared at him with confusion, he smacked his hand to his forehead.

"Oh man, you've been living in the dark. Raikou is the legendary cat of thunder. It was created by Ho-oh, the rainbow bird, after the brass tower burned down. A lot of people think actually seeing Raikou is good luck, since it's always running around too fast to be seen. My grandfather took that picture back when he was our age. He said that it was the most amazing thing he ever saw; he had just been sitting there when Raikou showed up. Of course, he ran off a second later, but grandpa still got the picture." Alex stared at him blankly. The only real legendaries she knew about were Rayquaza, Latios, Latias, Kyogre, and Groudon. That was only because her father liked to rave about them sometimes.

"Just how many legedaries are there in Jhoto?" Justing bit his bottom lip, and his eyes closed.

"Well, there's Raikou and H-oh, Lugia, Suicune, and Entei....I don't know if the Unknown count of not, they haven't been seen in a while." Alex eyed him curiously.

"Unknown?" Justin nodded, picking up a book a flipping through the pages. He quickly found what he was looking for, and showed it to her. It was a picture of a large slab of rock, with small etching in it's surface. The etchings were oddly shaped, and seemed to have an eye in the center.

"They were around before Raikou, Entei, and Suicune were created. There was no real purpose for them, but the people back then used to use the way their bodies were shaped to make runes like that." Alex looked at the picture carefully, and had a sudden wave of anxiety come over her. There was no real way to explain it: she just didn't feel safe.

"Cool.....well, I should be heading out, see you Justin." Waving to her new acquaintance, Alex turned and walked out of the shop. Glancing at the picture in then window once more, she took a closer look. Near the right margin, about half way up, she could just barely make out a pair of crimson eyes staring at her. Another wave of anxiety ran down her spine, and she quickly faced forward once more. Both pictures creeped her out slightly, but she couldn't get either from her mind. For some reason, she kept thinking Justin's words over, and her mind strayed to the picture of Raikou often. How amazing would it be to see a legendary that close?

"I'll have to ask dad if he knows anything about the Jhoto legendaries....." Mummbling to herself, Alex pulled out the map booklet and flipped through. She was relieved to find there were also recent and detailed maps on all the cities, so she wouldn't have to look like an idiot walking around. Flipping to the page that held the route maps, she scanned the bottom for a way to New Bark.

-_-_-_-The Next Day-_-_-_-

Alex walked along the streets of New Bark with barely hidden excitement. Her dad had phoned up Professor Elm, and asked a favour. Now, the professor was waiting for her with a Jhoto starter pokemon. She didn't get to choose, since she was showing up late, but it didn't matter. Professor Birch wouldn't tell her which pokemon was left, but it was a pokemon non the less, so she didn't care much.

The lab was set on a small rocky cliff, overlooking a large lake not too far from town. Various pokemon ran about in a yard a small distance off, calling to one another happily. Looking over the fence keeping them in, Alex could spot a few Kanto pokemon, and a large portion of Jhoto pokemon. Off in the distance, she could see a path leading down to the lake, where she could hear splashing. Turning away from the fence, she ran to the door of the lab and opened it eagerly. Inside, various assistants were running about, organizing the place, as well as caring for the pokemon. One spotted her, and walked over quickly.

"What can I do for you young lady?" Alex looked up with excitement. He was a friendly looking man, with medium length brown hair and blue eyes.

"I'm looking for Professor Elm, do you know where he is?" The man put his finger to his chin, and thought a moment.

"I believe he's down at the lake, you may go down and talk to him if you wish." Nodding her head, Alex went back out the door, and rushed down the path leading to the lake. It was slopped down hill, and covered by various trees and bushes. Running through the pathway, she came out on a large area of grass and earth, with the bank of the lake not too far off. Near the edge, sat a man with short, dark blue hair, a lab coat, brown slacks, and glasses. She ran over excitedly, but stopped a few feet from the man.

"Professor Elm?" The man jumped quite a bit, and would have fallen into the lake had it not been for her grabbing his coat. He straightened up, grinning sheepishly and straightening his coat and pants.

"Yes, yes, what can I do for you my dear?" Alex shook her head, a bemused look on her face.

"My dad called you a couple days ago. I'm Alexandra Birch, and I'm here to pick up my pokemon." Professor Birch's eyes lit up, and he nodded in a friendly manner.

"Ah, nice to meet you. As you know, I'm Professor Elm, welcome to my lab. Now, about your pokemon.......you see, that's why I'm out here." Alex tilted her head in confusion, watching as the professor fidgeted slightly.

"What do you mean?" Just as he was about to answer, a burst of water shot up in the center of the lake. From the water came a small, blue, alligator like pokemon, which quickly blew a raspberry at Professor Elm, and dove back down.

"That......you were supposed to get that Totodile, but as you can see, it decided it wasn't going to be cooperative, and won't come out of the lake." Alex looked at the spot with a contemplative expression. Turning to the professor, she grinned.

"Let me try getting him out Professor." Professor Elm stepped back, wondering what the girl had planned. Alex turned to the lake with a grin, and cupped her hands about her mouth.

"Hey Totodile, I bet I could kick your butt in a battle!" Nothing moved for a moment, and the lake remained calm. Alex watched the surface eagerly, a smirk growing on her mouth. She pulled a pokeball from her belt, and sent out her Eevee, who darted about in excitement. A moment later, the water on the edge of the lake slopped over the bank, and Totodile jumped onto the land. He had an angry expression on his face, and was glaring evilly at Alex.

"To dile, toto!" He growled low in his throat as Eevee ran over to Alex, frightened by Totodile's sudden appearance. Alex stooped down to stroke Eevee's fur, never breaking eye contact with Totodile. Another growl, this time accompanied by a snarl, came from the water pokemon, as he waited for her to attack.

"Okay Eevee, are you ready?" A purr came from the small brown fox, as it's eyes darted between Alex and Totodile. Totodile seemed to be loosing his patience, as he was moving from one foot to the other, grumbling to himself.

"Eevee, use tackle!" A chirp of agreement came from Eevee, and she ran forward, lowering her head as she went. Totodile jumped left, and then made a mad dash for the water.

"Eevee, use scratch before it can get away!" Jumping forward, she pounced on Totodile, who cried out in rage. It thrashed about, trying to knock the smaller pokemon off. Eevee dug her claws into Totodile, who screeched in both frustration and pain. Alex smirked, and decided to use a new move she had taught Eevee while at the lab.

"Eevee, use shadow ball!" Eevee squealed, and opened it's mouth eagerly. A ball of dark, swirling energy gathered, growing larger and larger. Closing her mouth, Eevee launched the energy at Totodile, who watched it get closer with wide eyes. It slammed into him with a mini explosion, throwing him out over the lake, which he quickly fell into. The water sloshed about, hiding his shadow as it disappeared from the surface.

"Be careful Eevee, we don't want you getting hurt." Eevee growled, and watched the water curiously. There was no sign of Totodile, and she was beginning to get a little nervous. She stood up, and creeped over to the edge of the lake cautiously, her belly close to the ground. As she leaned over the edge of the lake, she could swear she saw something coming up. A moment later, Totodile exploded out of the water, and chomped down. Alex stared in horrified amazement at the pair: Eevee standing there absolutely still, with her head in Totodile's mouth.

"Eevee.....?" For a moment, Eevee gave no sign of being alive. Then, her eyes bugged out, and she started to dart about, Totodile flopping around as she ran.

"EE! VEE VEE VEE VEE VEE!" She chirped and screeched, rolling on the grass in an effort to get the alligator off her. Totodile held on stubbornly, not letting the poor fox go. Professor Elm and Alex watched in stunned silence as this went on, not knowing what to do to help poor Eevee. Eventually, Alex grabbed a stone off the ground, and ran over to the pair, holding Eevee to the ground. She smacked Totodile on the head with the stone, not hard enough to hurt, but perhaps hard enough to make it let go.

He followed her wishes, and let her poor pokemon free. Turning her head with an evil glare, Eevee growled at Totodile menacingly. He eyed her warily, backing away slightly as Eevee twisted free of Alex's hold. Running forward, Eevee pounced on Totodile, chomping down on his nose with her small fangs.

"Toto to!" Totodile stared at Eevee with wide, teary eyes as she growled at him, her mouth full of nose. She bit down harder when he tried to reach forward to knock him off, making Totodile wince. Alex groaned, and ran over to the pair. Taking hold of Eevee, she started to yank, trying to make her let go of her captive. A few yelps of pain came from Totodile, who tried to reach for his nose, being blocked by Eevee's furry head. Eventually, Alex grabbed the scruff of Eevee's neck, and gave a good yank, making the fox let go with a bark.

Totodile held his injured nose with teary eyes, rubbing the tender area. The end had gone red, and you could make out teeth marks where Eevee's fangs had sunk in. Alex sighed, and walked over to Totodile cautiously. He eyed her the same way he had been eyeing Eevee, but with a touch of fear. Bending down, she pulled out a potion and sprayed it on Totodile's injury, making him wince slightly. Eevee only huffed, and trotted over to Professor Elm, looking for attention. When she finished spraying his nose, Alex smiled lightly at Totodile, making him watch her curiously.

"There, now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Totodile shook his head, a few tears still in the corners of his bright red eyes. Patting him on the head, Alex stood happily.

"Now you're not going to cause trouble again, are you?" Totodile's eyes bugged out, and he turned to eye Eevee, who was looking back with something akin to a smirk. Seeing the look, Totodile quickly dove behind Alex, who sighed in defeat. It would be a long time before these two got along. Professor Elm shuffled over, Eevee in tow as he pulled out Totodile's pokeball. While he gave it to Alex, Eevee walked over to Totodile, and rubbed herself against him, the smirk still on her face. He watched her with terror, wondering if his pore nose was going to be attacked again.

"Thanks Professor, I really appreciate it." Looking up at the trainer, the two pokemon watched her: Eevee with curiosity, and Totodile with confusion. Then, Alex turned, held up Totodile's pokeball, and returned the small frightened pokemon. Eevee pouted at the lose of her victim, and she did mean victim. Turning to her pokemon, Alex smiled and opened her arms, letting Eevee jump in with a happy squeak. So what if she couldn't torture Totodile today; she could freeload and get a ride off Alex. She lover her trainer, really, but the girl also proved to be good transportation when she wanted a nap. Closing her eyes, Eevee felt her trainer turn, and start walking back up the path to the lab. A smirk was held back as she thought on her stunt from a few minutes ago. Today was just the start to their journey; they still had a long way to go, and a lot of stuff to do. Heck, if she was lucky, she might get to cause more trouble.

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**There you go. If you're wondering, here's the basic jist of what Eevee and Totodile said:**

**Eevee: "Am I dead?"**

**and**

**"OH SHIT! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!"**

**Totodile: "My nose, you bitch!"**

**I rather enjoyed writing the end of the chapter, because I could just imagine something like this happening. It would be just Alex's luck, wouldn't it? Anyway, please review this time guys, I was really disappointed when I only got 2 reviews.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Well it has been a long time! *hides behind desk laughing nervously* DON'T KILL ME! Yeah, I've just been in a funk lately, so I'm gonna try my best with this, but it might not come out ****very good. Anyway, on with the long awaited *ducks behind desk again* 15****th**** chapter to Through Alex's Eyes.**

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.pokemon creators, and all original characters (Gary included unfortunately) belong to the dude who made ve belong to their respectiOC'sDisclaimer: I only own Alex, nothing else. All

In the future, if you were to ask Alexandra Birch what the most stupid thing she had ever done in her life was, she would respond with 'Taking that evil filled, malicious, mischievous, and annoying alligator from Professor Elm'. Said statement could be proven at this exact moment by the screams of panic coming from a woman, while Totodile bounced up and down on her back. He had somehow knocked the poor lady to the ground, and apparently thought she was a piece of playground equipment. Really, how was she to know that by letting him out of his pokeball, he would cause mass havoc and chaos? Okay, so maybe all the trouble he caused on their way to Cherrygrove should've been an indication. As well as the fact that he attacked nearly everything he saw, except Eevee of course. Then again, she was just a kid, what the heck did the world expect out of her?!

"Totodile, get your scaly butt off her before you cause us all to get in trouble!" Needless to say, it was Alex who had to bail them out of trouble time and time again. She was starting to wonder if Totodile only caused it to see her panic. By the grin he always had on his face during his 'adventures', she could probably say her guesses weren't too far off the mark. Really, she had only had him for about three days now, and she was already eager to get rid of him. Was this why no other trainers had wanted the little heathen? Honestly, she could say she didn't blame them. Alex always considered herself a patient and easy going person, but this little water pokemon seemed to know all the buttons to push.

"What in the world is going on here?!" The voice of Officer Jenny rang loud and clear over the screams of the poor woman. Totodile's eyes widened and he stopped bouncing as the intimidating woman stomped over to them, glaring at him and Alex. His trainer groaned, and hung her head as she straightened herself into a standing position.

"I'm sorry Officer Jenny, he just has a bit too much energy today, he's never done something like this before!" Well, she had no way to prove that, since she had only had him for three days. By now, even Totodile seemed to realize they were in more trouble than ever before, as his head was hung and his tail drooping. Honestly, he had only been out to have fun, not get everyone in trouble.

"Well you need to keep a better eye on him! And apologize to this woman now!" Turning to Totodile's victim, Alex gave her a sheepish grin, and scratched behind her head.

"I'm sorry ma'am, he's just a jokester; he never meant any harm." The woman pushed herself from the ground, and brushed herself off stiffly. Shooting Alex a glare, she turned on her heal and stomped off, muttering under her breath. Officer Jenny also turned to walk off, her Growlithe beside her. Knowing both the women would not see her, Alex stuck her tongue out at both, and then walked down the path towards the center of town. Totodile stared behind its shoulder for a moment, and then rushed to catch up with Alex.

"Toto todo." Alex glanced down at Totodile, who was staring back at her in confusion.

"What? Oh come on, you have to admit it was deserved! Officer Jennies are so mean!" Totodile shot his trainer a disapproving look, earning him a glare in return.

"Don't you look at me like that you midget lizard; you started it all!" Alex glanced forward to make sure she would not run into someone, and then looked back at Totodile. Both ignored the fact they were getting strange looks from everyone they passed, all of them wondering if prehaps the girl was insane.

"Dile, toto." Totodile nodded as matter of factly, believing himself to be right as he mocked his trainer.

"Shut up you; at least I'm not short and blue!" Totodile gave her an offended look, slightly wounded.

"To! Totototo dile!" Alex snorted, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Totodile.

"Oh please, you're self esteem needs to be knocked down a few pegs. You alone get me into more trouble than all my other pokemon combined, and that's Eevee included!" Totodile flinched when the evil fox was mentioned, glancing around in sheer terror, searching for the malicious brown eyes. When he realised there was no killer ball of fur after him he allowed himself to relax, if only for a few moments.

'Toto." Alex glanced down at Totodile in curiosity, wondering what was going through her companion's mind as he seemed to grow insanely happy all of the sudden. His eyes held that gleam she had come to associate with his usual terrible antics. Knowing he planned to most likely run off, she quickly pulled his pokeball off her belt and returned him, saving herself and innocent by standards. Totodile shot her an evil glare as he was sucked in by the red beam, his plans foiled for the moment.

"Another job well done, at least I know I'll be able to sleep without _too_much guilt tonight." Alex ignored the odd looks, which had doubled once she started talking to herself. She found she got similar looks often on her journey, either from her attitude or her pokemon. The looks themselves never really bothered her, just the idea that people were judging her without knowing her. If she were to give an opinion on herself, she would say she was very lovable, albeit a little annoying. Then again, everyone was a bit annoying in one way or another, so she really didn't have to worry too much.

The streets weren't too busy, as it was growing rather close to dinner time, and most people were inside. A few stragglers were walking about, doing some last minute shopping or heading home. Some pokemon slinked in the shadows of the allies, unwilling to be seen by everyone on the street. Alex walked quickly, her eyes darting left and right as she headed towards the Pokemon Center. She had the distinct feeling she was being followed, and it was creeping her out majorly. The last time she had felt like this she had had Arcanine out, and he kept anyone away with a single growl. Really, who would try and fight a giant dog that was over 6 feet tall, could breath fire, and was one of the fastest pokemon in the world?

Right now she really didn't want to drag out Arcanine just because her nerves were acting up. Instead, she grabbed his pokeball and kept it clutched lightly in her hands, already feeling slightly safer. A glance over her shoulder assured her she was not being followed, and she turned forwards to continue walking once more. The sky was starting to darken, the former blue now a fiery red followed by a deep purple. Some last bits of sunlight were struggling over the mountain, bathing the world in their ruddy gold-bronze light. Various pokemon were returning to their nests or homes, while others were just waking from their sleep. Some Rattata scampered in the shadows, squeaking to each other loudly.

"Freaky little rats follow me everywhere...." Alex glanced behind her once more, and glared lightly at a group of Rattata who were eyeing her. She could practically hear their plans to jump her for food. To be quite honest, though she never had anything against them, Rattata freaked her out a bit. She wasn't quite sure if it was the fact they followed you, or the idea they were so small they could get anywhere. Whatever it was, it scared her when she thought about it.

The lights of the pokemon center were shinning in the distance, and she quickened her steps towards them. She was looking forward to something to eat and some sleep, because tomorrow would start her training for Falkner and the Zephyr badge. Since Falkner specializes in flying types she would have to use Gyarados, since he knew Ice Beam and Thunder. Rhydon would also probably give her a good chance, since the flying moves would have little effect, and rock was super effective against flying. All in all, she was more concerned with her upcoming gym battle than anything else.

The next day proved to be hot, almost unbearably so. The humid air had her sweating almost immediately after she stepped out into it. Totodile kept whining and growling, and she had been forced to return him so she could search for a lake. If she could find a lake they could start training and stay cool at the same time. Not only that, but Eevee really needed a bath, and maybe she could just shove the ball of fur into the water. Really, who would notice if she 'accidentally' bumped into her and the poor fox fell in? With her goal in mind, she set out into the woods, hoping to come across some body of water eventually.

"Dewgon, use Ice Beam!" Alex had spent the past fifteen minutes wandering around the forest, searching for somewhere to train. She had come across a few ponds, but there were so many trainers already around them there was no point in trying. Now she could hear a trainer calling out through a patch of trees, and walked closer curiously. A sudden beam of cool blue energy shot out from behind the trees, and she was forced to duck with a near scream. She felt an icy wind run down her back, and felt a small wave of relief from it. The trees in front of her shook, and a familiar head of red hair popped out with a white seal like pokemon by its side.

"What the hell are you doing here Birch?"

"Looking for a place to train. Thanks for that by the way, it felt nice." Hiro scowled lightly, but slinked back into the trees sulkily. Alex pushed up off the ground and followed him, her intent being to annoy him to death. When she managed to finally push the last of the branches from her sight she was surprised to see a small pond before her, with only Hiro's things nearby.

"How'd you find this place?" He seemed mildly surprised she was there, but shrugged a shoulder lightly.

"Not many people are willing to come this far into the woods. You just have to look hard enough and you can find places like this." Alex 'hm'ed under her breath, and walked slowly across the clearing to a large oak tree that made a ring of shade about its base. Hiro watched her with slight interest, wondering why she was willing to spend time around him. They weren't exactly the best of friends, and with how much he annoyed her boyfriend you'd think she'd avoid him like the plague. But no, she just had to go against his expectations and come into his clearing. While it was nice to know she didn't completely hate him, it was annoying that he was wrong. Normally he could figure a person out pretty well, but Alex ruined that. Either she was bipolar, or just messed up in the head.

"Hey, you wanna have a battle? You know, just for fun..." Hiro stared at her in confusion, while silently confirming that said midget brunette was indeed messed up in the head.

"You wanna battle me _for fun_?"

"Well you don't have to sound like the world is ending!" Alex glared with a small frown, wondering why battling for fun was strange. Hiro shook his head with a smirk, a disbelieving look in his eyes.

"But we hate each other, why the hell would you wanna battle me, much less spend time with me?!" He watched carefully as Alex blinked, a thoughtful look on her face. She was staring off into the distance, not really looking at anything.

"You know....I don't really hate you. At times you can be a jerk...well, that's most of the time, but you can be cool I guess. I've never really hated a person before, and you're no exception. Sure, most of the time I dislike you for your attitude, but it's that way with Gary too, so it's no big deal. Besides, my dad tells me I always blow things way out of proportion." Hiro blinked, and then blinked some more as his mind made sense of her words. Here was the girl who seemed to enjoy glaring at him, and she was telling him she didn't hate him? What the hell has the world come to?!

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Well now, aren't you Mister Negative?" Alex pouted and turned to face away from Hiro. She was telling the truth: she didn't hate _him_, just his attitude. For some reason, the world hated her and made her run into all the jerks.

"Tch, whatever. Well, since you're acting like a child and it's annoying, I suppose I'll appease you and battle you." Alex jumped up with a joyful look and whipped around to face Hiro. It had been a couple weeks since she got a good battle, and she was hoping he could be a nice challenge. Since she was limited to only four pokemon, she would have to choose which she would use wisely.

"Okay, how about a three on three battle with no switching pokemon?" Hiro nodded and motioned Dewgon over, who had been waiting patiently in the lake to continue its training. It jumped out gracefully, landing on the ground a few feet from Hiro and pulling itself over quickly. The water on its fur glimmered in the sunlight, and Alex watched as it threw its head back to call out excitedly.

_Hm....Dewgon is ice and water, which means I can't use Arcanine, or I run the risk of losing quickly. Totodile will have next to no effect, and Eevee is still too weak to really fight him, so Venasaur it is._

Nodding to herself, Alex decided she was happy with her selection and quickly pulled Venasaur's pokeball from her belt. The ball was tossed into the air, releasing a white light that soon faded into the large dinosaur like pokemon. A sweet scent filled the air, resonating from the large flower atop Venasaur's back. The grass pokemon turned its crimson eyes to its opponent, determination shinning in their depths.

"Alright, you ready Hiro?"

"Yeah yeah, just get on with it already."

Alex's eye twitched and she growled under her breath. Even when he was about to get into a battle Hiro was bratty. A frown tugged on the corners of her mouth, and blinked before banishing the thought from her mind. Now was not the time to be upset with his attitude: she had a battle to win.

"Fine, Venasaur use solar beam!"

The flower on Venasaur's back started to glow as it gathered sunlight. Being as the clearing was rather shady from all the trees, it would take longer than normal to gather the proper amount, so he was wide open. Hiro smirked, and turned to Dewgon with a superior look.

"Dewgon, use ice beam."

Dewgon grunted, and opened its mouth to start forming a ball of light blue energy. It was only a matter of time to see who would hit first, and the trainers watched with baited breath. A moment later Venasaur growled and opened its mouth, a new ball of white energy forming. Then Dewgon grunted once more, and a sudden beam of the blue energy shot from its mouth, heading straight for Venasaur. There was no way to avoid the attack without cancelling his own, so Venasaur took the attack head on. It collided with a spot just behind his skull, on the back of his neck. Venasaur resisted the urge to cry out in pain, and took the chance to fire his own attack towards Dewgon, who promptly ducked out of the way.

"Venasaur, use earthquake!"

Not wasting a moment, Venasaur rose its foot and slammed it into the ground. The earth shook violently with the impact, knocking Dewgon off balance and into the way of a rising spire of rock. The seal pokemon's body slammed into the top of the spire, rising with it as it shot farther out of the ground. Once the spire stopped Dewgon was sent tumbling down the side, and back in front of Hiro, who watched the process with growing anger.

"Dewgon, use surf."

Dewgon weakly pushed itself up, and then dove into the lake. A moment later he came back up riding wave. Venasaur shuffled around to face its opponent and was hit in the face with the wall of water as it came crashing down onto him. It had little effect, but he was forced to shake the excess water from his body.

"Ice beam, Dewgon."

Dewgon used the opportunity to its advantage, and once again began charging the blue beam in its mouth.

"Venasaur shake it off and use earthquake again!"

Venasaur blew a great sigh of air through its nose, and focused on Dewgon once more. The seal pokemon was almost done charging, and there was little time left if he wanted to pull the move off effectively. Growling low in his throat, Venasaur raised his foot off the ground, pausing only long enough to ensure a hard stomp, and then slammed it into the ground once more. Dewgon shot off another ice beam just as a spire of rock slammed into his side, sending him tumbling back once more. The beam of energy raced towards Venasaur, slamming into his forehead before he had the chance to move from its range of attack. Both pokemon gave cries of exhaustion and slumped to the ground, closing their eyes to their opponent.

"Well that didn't end to well..."

Hiro's eye twitched as he returned Dewgon to its pokeball. He had to wonder if she always talked to herself, or if she was just going crazy from the heat. He sighed and shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind before he became too curious.

"Alright, let's get on with this already; Gengar, you're up!"

The pokeball left his hand with a flick of the wrist, and a moment later his ghost pokemon was standing before him. Its large purple body swayed from side to side while its red eyes focused on Alex. She glanced it over with a small grimace, leaning away slightly. She had a slight dislike of ghost pokemon; they creeped her out. A frown tugged on her lips, and she pulled Totodile's pokeball from her belt, releasing the hyped up alligator from his confines. Totodile looked around in confusion for a moment, but when he saw Alex he crossed his arms and stuck his nose up in the air.

"Toto todile."

"Oh come on, you can't refuse to battle! If you're still mad about yesterday it was because I was protecting your next potential victim!"

"TOTOTO!"

Hiro watched in growing amusement as both trainer and pokemon yelled back and forth at one another, apparently arguing over an occurrence from the day before. Totodile was stomping his foot against the ground harshly, baring his fangs at his trainer. Meanwhile Alex was hopping up and down, yelling at Totodile with a disapproving frown on her face. It was both incredibly funny and incredibly shameful to watch, as they seemed to be making a mockery of trainers and pokemon around the world. A sigh escaped his lips as Alex stopped jumping up and down, and resorted to shaking her fist at the small pokemon before her.

"You know it's kinda pathetic if you have to argue with him to get him to battle for you."

Alex glanced up from Totodile to shoot her fellow trainer a glare. What right did he have to judge her?! She was so tired of jerks telling her she was a pathetic trainer! No matter how hard she tried, or how good she did, someone was always telling her she wasn't good enough. First (and still) Gary, and now this guy?! What was with all the damn male trainers that they seemed to think they were the best?!

"Keep your nose out of this jerk, it's between me and Totodile!"

"Totodile!"

Totodile clenched a fist and glared heavily at the opposing trainer and his pokemon. The only one allowed to get away with making his trainer's life hell was him! It didn't matter if this guy has been doing it longer; he called dibs the moment she was stupid enough to take him from Professor Elm! A growl erupted from behind clenched teeth, and Totodile's eyes narrowed in on Gengar, who glared back with a smirk. Both trainers seemed to realize their pokemon were ready for a fight, and sent each other another glare before turning their attentions to battling.

"Totodile use bite!"

"Dodge it and use lick Gengar."

Totodile shot forward, running on his hind legs while his jaw snapped before him. He was going to chomp down on this damned smug ass and show him who was boss! Gengar snickered and jumped to the side, completely avoiding the small alligator as it ran past. Totodile threw its head back and skidded to a stop, turning around to rush Gengar once more. Gengar shot his tongue out, dragging it up Totodile's face as the water pokemon froze with shock. When he drew his tongue away he grunted in satisfaction as Totodile gave him a disgusted look, his paws swiping at his face in an attempt to clear away the spit. Once he was satisfied with the dryness of his scales he rushed Gengar again, attempting once again to bite the ghost.

"Gengar use shadow ball."

Gengar jumped out of Totodile's way once more, and started to gather the dark energy between his hands. Totodile meanwhile was hopping from one foot to the other in agitation, his anger only building every time Gengar dodged him. A mix of a hiss and growl escaped his throat, and he lowered his head to charge Gengar once more, this time being mindful of any movement the ghost pokemon might make to get away. A grin spread across Gengar's face as Totodile came within biting range, and he shoved his hands forward, sending the now completed shadow ball his way. Crimson eyes widened out as they saw the ball of darkness come their way, and Totodile jumped to the side. It made little effect, as he was still skimmed by the attack, making him jerk with a cry of pain.

"Are you okay Totodile?"

"Toto, todile."

"Alright, use water gun then!"

Totodile whipped about and shot the jet of water from his mouth, aiming straight for the ghost pokemon only a few feet away. Gengar frowned and ducked down as it went flying over his head, a few drops descending onto his prone form as he waited for the attack to end.

"Try again Totodile!"

"Dodge and use lick Gengar."

Gengar jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding yet another burst of water aimed his way. His tongue shot towards Totodile, who jumped to the side with a disgusted look on his face.

"Quick Totodile, bite it!"

Totodile's horror only deepened, and he shot a glare at his trainer. All Alex did was glare back, and Totodile sighed, turning towards the tongue that was coming his way once more. He ducked down enough to avoid getting hit, and then raised his head and chomped down on the slimy muscle, grimacing in disgust the whole time. Gengar's eyes bulged in his head, and he gave a shriek of pain as the sensitive muscle was abused. Hiro's eyebrows rose is disbelief, and he didn't know whether to be at Totodile, or feel sorry for the poor pokemon. Getting licked by Gengar's tongue was bad enough, but to have to bite it?

"Well now I know you really are screwed up in the head; no sane trainer would ever make their pokemon bite Gengar's tongue."

Alex scowled at him, but turned back to Totodile and motioned for him to let Gengar go. Totodile happily released the tongue, and rushed over to the small lake to attempt to clean the nasty taste from his mouth. Hiro shook his head as Gengar also ran over to soak his tongue in the cool water in an attempt to sooth the pain coursing from the pink flesh. Realizing the match was unofficially over; he walked over to Alex with questions swarming about his mind in a frenzy, all demanding to be answered.

"What the hell possessed you to make your Totodile bite my Gengar's tongue?"

Alex shrugged lightly, watching the two pokemon complain as they sucked down practically the whole lake.

"I guess I do some pretty weird things when I'm desperate. Your Gengar's really strong, and I knew Totodile didn't have a very good chance against him."

Hiro turned to watch the two pokemon for a moment, a smirk tugging on his lips. He didn't know why, but to hear Alex complimenting his pokemon was stroking his ego more than it should. A loud rumble echoed from the sky above, and the two trainers glanced up in shock. They had failed to realize that during their half a battle the once sunny sky had darkened considerably, and black clouds had moved in, bringing with them a storm. The two glanced at one another, then turned and returned their respective pokemon to their pokeballs. Then they turned and darted for the trees, heading back in the direction of the town.

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**Well here it is, like I said it isn't that great. It's more put up to get something up, rather than to be some grand re-introduction for Hiro. Tell me if you hate it, like it, what's good and what's not. Don't worry, I'm not going to be all hissy if you give me a piece of your mind since I haven't updated in so long.**


	16. Chapter 16

**So here we are folks, chapter 16. Wow, has it really been 7 months since my last update? Sorry guys! Anyway, the drama is high in this chapter, with a surprisingly sad ending. You can see the wheels turning now, as Gary and Alex start to go down their paths to the future. We also begin to see a budding truce between some and a rising hate for others. I tried a new style of writing, so some of the chapter is from Eevee or Totodile's viewpoints. Next chapter will be not too far off, I promise this time, because Alex is going to catch her next major team member, one I have been waiting the whole story to write in. Anyway, I present to you, the readers who waited long and faithfully Chapter 16 of Through Alex's Eyes.**

* * *

Alex sighed as she watched rain pour from the clouds outside. They had been half way through the forest when it started raining, completely soaking their clothes. Left with no choice, they ducked into a small café on the edge of town to wait out the storm. Fifteen minutes later and they were sitting at a table sipping at their drinks and eating pastries, making mild conversation. Hiro learned she had a great love for cherry pie and coffee, while Alex learned he loathed coffee more than anything. Instead he had a mug of berry tea in front of him with a small slice of strawberry cream cake. Their pokemon had been returned to their pokeballs to rest while the trainers ate quietly.

"I hate the rain…"

Emerald eyes snapped to the person across from them, orbs of ice meeting her half way and holding the gaze. There was a storm brewing under the surface, emotions unseen on his face boiling to the forefront of his eyes. Anger and frustration warred with one another for dominance in the gaze while irritation and a false calm eased into the background. Suddenly he seemed more isolated than usual, more distanced from the world around him than she had seen him before.

"Why?"

Hiro's eyes flicked back to the window, the gaze broken but not forgotten as she waited for her answer. Something about that gaze told her to wait patiently and not push him into answering, or she would be met with a reaction she neither expected nor wanted.

"It's…lonely. You look at the rain and you can't help but feel sad and alone, even if you have someone sitting with you. When I look at the rain I feel like I've been separated from the world outside the window."

It was a puzzling answer, sprinkled with riddles she didn't have the energy to figure out. No matter the meaning, she knew the general idea of it: he didn't like being alone when it rained. Not that she particularly enjoyed it herself; she could sympathize with feeling lonely when it rained. Her mother used to love the rain apparently, so whenever it rained her father went suspiciously absent from plain sight. Once or twice she had caught sight of him sitting in the rain in the back yard, but something had prevented her from going out to him. Perhaps it was respect for her father's need to remember her mother, or maybe it was fear that he would send her back inside. Whatever it was she listened to the unspoken command and allowed her father time to himself.

As a result she spent most of her time alone when it rained. The lab techs were always working, citing the weather as the perfect excuse to work endlessly. Most of the pokemon were returned to their pens except for the water pokemon, who were too busy playing in the rain to play with her. It was like whenever the rain came she was left alone and forgotten by the rest of the world for a few hours, only to be rediscovered again when the sun returned. Perhaps the time of isolation was worth the time her father spent with her to make up for it.

"When I was younger and it used to rain my father used to take me fishing, since the pokemon bite more often when it's rainy."

She smiled and nodded, remembering the few times after it rained that her dad did the same. He said the water pokemon liked it better when it rained because the air was cooler. She thought they liked it better because everything was wet then; what water pokemon doesn't like it when everything's wet?

"I used to catch a lot of Magikarp; it seemed to be the only thing that lived in the pond near our house. You'd catch the occasional Goldeen of course, but still…"

They lived near a stream, not a pond, so she caught a lot of Wooper instead. Sometimes if it was cold enough out they would follow her and her dad back to the lab and play in the ponds with the other pokemon. Those were times she liked to remember; she may not have been the most privileged child, but it wasn't like she was lonely all the time.

"The rain's clearing up."

She glanced outside, and sure enough the rain had lessened to a slight drizzle that was already petering out. People had returned to the street, resuming their daily schedules as the sky cleared above them. Her eyes slid back to her half eaten pie and cold coffee. She felt bad for wasting the food, but she just wasn't hungry now. Hiro had finished his food, and was waiting patiently for her to either finish or get rid of hers.

"Are you going to eat it, or did you waste my money?"

Yes, it was indeed Hiro who had bought their snacks. Alex had discovered she had forgotten her wallet back at the pokemon center, so her rival had taken pity on her and bought her the pie and coffee. It wasn't like it was expensive, just annoying that she might have wasted his money for nothing. Alex glanced between the dishes and Hiro, contemplating her next move. As if in answer two flashes of light came from her bag, and sitting on the floor were Eevee and Totodile. Both pokemon glanced up at their trainer, bored looks on their faces as they looked around the café. Hiro regarded the duo warily, knowing Eevee's reputation of mischief.

Totodile hopped up onto the seat next to Alex and leaned up to look over the table curiously. His eyes settled onto the pie just as Eevee jumped onto the table, catching sight of the dessert at the same time. For a moment all was still, and the two pokemon stared at one another suspiciously, as if daring each other to move. Totodile growled low in his throat and leaned forward, obviously heading for the pie. Eevee watched him move for a second, and then made a dive for the food, a small yowl raising from her throat as she made a go at the treat.

'VEEE!'

'TOTO, TO!'

The resulting crash did little to faze the two trainers, who were watching in warped fascination as the two pokemon fought for the now smashed treat. Other occupants of the café had turned to watch curiously, wondering what could possibly be causing so much noise. When they saw the two pokemon fighting on the table some rolled their eyes while others glared. It was considered highly rude to let pokemon fight indoors, especially if it wasn't your house or shop they were fighting in. Speaking of which, Alex blanched as she saw the café owner stomping towards them, his face red as he glowered at the now nervous pair.

"OUT!"

Grabbing her pokemon Alex jumped up and scrambled for the door, a sheepish grin on her face. Hiro was lazing behind, a neutral expression on his face as he followed the shorter trainer out the door. The owner slammed the door shut behind them, still glaring through the glass as they walked down the street. Alex looked around quickly, wondering if anyone saw the episode in the café. Seeing no odd looks being sent her way she cheered in her mind and continued walking in a considerably better mood.

"Well that was…pleasant."

No answer came from behind her, and Alex turned to address her rival/friend, wondering what was on his mind. She twitched when she realized she was alone, Hiro managing to have somehow slipped away. Totodile and Eevee squirmed in her arms, occasionally trying to reach around their trainer to attack one another.

"Will you two stop it? If that dude sends me a bill for all the dishes you broke, you're going to be sorry."

Both pouted and slouched into her arms, allowing themselves to be carried as their trained stomped down the road in frustration. Eevee noted the amazing speed at which her trainer could go from nervous to happy and then to depressed; perhaps it was a human thing? Eevees were well known for their control; they were perfectly cute and cuddly at all times. Of course most Eevees did enjoy their fluffiness and the fact that it got them attention, but not this Eevee.

Eevee sniffed and relaxed, used to being carried by the frustrated girl now parading down the street. It gave her time to think things over, such as how to terrorize Totodile next. Sure, it was mean to do such things, but sometimes she enjoyed the feeling of power it gave her. She was once the smallest pokemon her trainer owned, and because of that got pushed around a lot by the others. Now there was a pokemon of equal size here, and she had seniority to him. It was a bit cruel to be making him suffer in the way she did, but it was fun.

Glancing up at her trainer Eevee regarded her quizzically. One thing she had never understood about her trainer was the relationship she seemed to have with the Arrogant Prick. He would come around and annoy her trainer, and then they would get into an argument. The argument would normally result in either her trainer stomping away, yelling in anger, or a battle. She liked when it came to battles, because then she got to bite and scratch things. For her size, she was a pretty good fighter, if she did say so herself, but she digressed. Normally it would end as a draw, with either or trainer or the Bratty One getting even madder at the end. Then it would lead to yelling, none of which Eevee understood the point of; really, why would her trainer tell the Arrogant Prick to 'jump off a cliff', wasn't that dangerous?

All in all it only resulted in a headache for both sides, because eventually her trainer would leave and go be upset somewhere. Now that annoyed Eevee; she loved her trainer dearly because the girl held all the food, and then the Arrogant Prick makes her cry? It was cruel, just plain cruel. What seriously confused her though was the fact that she could smell the attraction between them. She wasn't too sure about the Arrogant Prick, but she could definitely smell it coming from her trainer. Why would her trainer want to fight constantly with the one she likes so much? You could never be too sure with those two, but she was sure that there had to be something going on between them. Maybe fighting was some odd way of expressing affection from one human to the other? But if that were true, then why would they look so hurt after they fought? Humans were confusing, that was the only thing Eevee was completely certain of.

"Eevee?"

'Vee?'

"When you're silent, I know something bad is bound to happen, so what are you planning?"

'Ee, vee vee ee!'

"Yes, I have that little faith in you, so what are you thinking?"

Her trainer was mean. She had so little faith in her ability to keep out of trouble. Just because she happened to find some things entertaining, her trainer automatically brands her a troublemaker. Maybe she was right, but Eevee stuck by her innocence in her trouble; she wasn't hurting anyone, was she? Okay, so maybe she was hurting _herself_, the whole episode with Rhydon and the tack the perfect example, but not anyone else…excluding Totodile of course.

Eevee's ears perked when she realized they had stopped moving. They were still outside, and she could still hear Ledyba and Pidgey, but they had stopped in what seemed to be the woods. She raised her nose and sniffed slightly, wondering what had caught her attention. The smell most dominant in the air made her nose crinkle slightly, and she lightly kicked Totodile's tail to get his attention. He woke from his nap (how the hell had he fallen asleep like that; she was carrying them under her arms for poke's sake!) and regarded her mistrustfully. She nosed ahead of them, and Totodile turned to look, wondering what had made her so angry. He sighed heavily as he saw the trainer before them, an arrogant smirk on his face.

"Well well well, I would've expected to run into Ashy-boy, but not you."

Alex smiled lightly and finally let Eevee and Totodile down. The two stood firm at her sides, regarding Gary mistrustfully. She knew Eevee told Totodile all about Gary, in the few and far in between times they could actually sit in the same general area together peacefully. Apparently whatever the small brown fox had said made Totodile reluctant to meet her rival. Gary looked the two over, his eyes lingering slightly on Totodile, who bared his teeth menacingly at the arrogant trainer across from him.

"So you got a Totodile from Professor Elm? I'm not surprised; my grandfather offered to let me get a starter from him, but I refused. You'd think you would prefer actually catching one, since getting one from a professor is the easy way out."

Totodile started to growl low in his throat, already disliking this trainer more and more. Eevee had told him of all the time he upset Alex, even of the times she had cried. Granted, Eevee wasn't there for most of them, but she had learned of them from the other pokemon. Venusaur and Arcanine didn't seem to mind Gary all that much, even perhaps liking him, but they wouldn't be fooled. All Gary represented to him was an obstacle that they must overcome and move on from to continue their quest to become the ultimate team.

"How have you been, Gary?"

Alex sat down, allowing Totodile and Eevee to jump into her lap. Surprisingly the two didn't fight for the space, and instead settled down next to one another and continued to glare at him. Honestly she thought Eevee liked Gary; she certainly hadn't had too much trouble with him last time she saw him. Then again last time she saw him had been a couple weeks ago, when she had only been newly hatched. Totodile she could do nothing about; Eevee had already poisoned his mind against her rival. Speaking of Gary, she raised her eyes to him and blinked. He seemed distant, tired and a bit upset about something. His movements were slow and lazy, and the usual sparkle of arrogance in his eyes was dim.

"Fine, I caught an Eevee, like you. I helped Grandpa around the lab for a while, fed the pokemon on the ranch and such. Being a researcher is definitely different from training, but…I like it, it's not too bad."

Gary walked over and sat beside Alex, ignoring the now snarling alligator and fox in her lap. He had a good idea why they didn't like him, so he would try to avoid setting them off and giving them another reason to hate him. It was admirable; Alex couldn't have had Totodile for long and already he seemed to be quite affectionate of his trainer. He wondered if he should send his Eevee out to distract Alex's; at least the annoying brown fuzzball wouldn't continue to growl at him then. On one hand, no more fuzzball to listen to, that was always nice. On the other, he knew Alex's pokemon tended to be on the violent side, and he didn't want his Eevee mauled by hers. Currently, the cons outweighed the pros…

"So what'd you do for the past few weeks?"

"Pretty much the same as you, I helped out dad and trained my pokemon…"

Silence hang heavily between the two, both feeling awkward seeing one another after so long. Alex was thinking of the last time they met, where Gary had been depressed at his loss. Gary was thinking of something else, somewhat similar but yet different, his mind completely gone from his body. He needed to break the tension somehow, get her to smile and talk freely, like she did at the Conference and around her friends.

"Battle?"

Ah, the magic word. It was the word that could get both of them off their feet and ready to go in .02 seconds flat. Alex grinned and shoved the smaller pokemon off her lap, ignoring the squeaks of protest and indignation as she tumbled onto the grass. Gary was already up and walking across the clearing, pulling out two pokeballs. Alex watched him curiously, wondering what he saw doing. He saw her look and sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Jhoto made some new battle rules; trainers can use two pokemon at once during a battle. They're called Double Battles and are more hard to control than Single Battles."

Alex grinned and jumped up, rushing to the spot opposite of Gary and leaving a considerable distance between the two. Eevee and Totodile stood on the side of the space, still grumbling at their rude trainer, who was focused more on her rival than them. Gary nodded and tossed his pokeballs into the air, Alex following right after. The field was flooded with white light, and the two smaller pokemon held the breath, wondering what they would witness.

When the light faded four pokemon stood on the field, two on each side. Before Gary stood Blastoise and Dodrio, both ready for a long battle ahead. In front of Alex were Venusaur and Arcanine, eyeing their opponents warily. Both trainers nodded to one another, Gary motioning for Alex to make the first move.

"Venusaur, use sweet scent! Arcanine, use take down!"

Venusaur started to shake the flower on his back, allowing for a heavy and sweet aroma to fill the air. Blastoise and Dodrio relaxed slightly, sniffing the air and humming quietly at the pleasant smell. Arcanine ignored the scent invading his nose and instead rushed towards Dodrio, using the muscles in his legs for more speed and power behind his hit. Dodrio seemed to wake just as he slammed into it, and they fell to the ground heavily as one of the heads grabbed the scruff of his neck and pulled him down with it.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump on Arcanine. Dodrio, hold him there and then use Drill Peck."

All three heads swooped in and grabbed onto Arcanine, restricting his movement slightly while Blastoise shook off his daze.

"Venusaur, use razor leaf to distract Blastoise!"

Once again Venusaur shook the plant on his back, but this time a flurry of leaves rose and were flung towards Blastoise, who was forced to retreat into its shell to avoid the attack. Meanwhile Dodrio saw its companion forced to stop, and flung Arcanine backwards so it could jump to its feet. Just as Arcanine was scrambling to get up Dodrio rushed forward and started to peck at Arcanine, its beak spinning like a high powered drill. Arcanine snarled and kicked it away, rushing back to his side of the field with a slight limp that Alex did not fail to notice.

"Blastoise, use skull bash on Venusaur. Dodrio, use tri-attack on Arcanine."

"Arcanine use flamethrower, Venusaur use razor leaf again!"

A long stream of flames burst from Arcanine's throat, heading straight for Dodrio who stopped short and attempted to back away. Blastoise returned to his shell as the leaves once again came his way, a growl echoing from inside as he was stopped yet again.

"Dodrio, dodge it using fly. Blastoise, deflect the leaves with rapid spin."

Dodrio jumped into the air, his wings pumping to send him into the sky, completely avoiding the fire below. Blastoise started to spin, going quicker and quicker by the moment. When the leave struck they were sent flying back at Venusaur, who growled as they cut into his skin. Arcanine snarled lowly, pacing back and forth below Dodrio, watching him closely.

"Arcanine use dig, Venusaur use solar beam!"

Arcanine's eyes finally left the bird, and he dug into the ground, soon forming a tunnel that he disappeared into. Glowing white light began to gather at Venusaur's flower, which was glowing the same color as it collected in the center.

"Blastoise, use blizzard before he can finish getting the light!"

Dodrio finally swooped down from his spot in the sky, having no target to hit and landed on the ground. Blastoise opened his mouth and shot a funnel of snow and ice from it, which collided with Venusaur, who roared in pain at the sudden freezing temperatures. Gary nodded to himself, glad that he had managed to get an attack in. He had been spacing out the whole battle, his mind caught on other things while he gave automatic orders.

"Venusaur, you okay?"

He cringed at the pain; almost collapsing from the effort needed to move and finish his attack, he nodded anyway.

"Alright then, let's go guys!"

Arcanine burst from the ground at the same moment Venusaur launched solar beam. Gary watched with mounting dread as both his pokemon were attacked at once, neither able to move in time. Dodrio squawked in surprise as Arcanine's mouth closed around the main head's neck, and he used the momentum to throw the large bird into a nearby tree. All three heads slumped to the ground; their eyes dim as the pokemon fainted. Blastoise growled in pain as the beam collided with his shell. He could feel the intense burning on his stomach, and twisted in agony as he collapsed to the ground. Not yet fainted, he panted heavily as he allowed himself a moment to regain his breath while Gary returned Dodrio to its pokeball.

"Come on Gary, give up; I don't want to have to attack Blastoise when he's barely hanging on as is."

Eevee and Totodile watched the match in awe, jealous of the powerful pokemon and their abilities. They had seen battles before, participated in a few themselves, but this was different. Eevee had seen her trainer battle in the Silver Conference, she had seen her give it her all and lose, but something in this match stood out. It was the way both trainers commanded their pokemon, the general feel of adrenaline in the match that struck her. Both the trainers were determined to win, to show their dominance over the other and prove they were better. In the Silver Conference Alex had been determined to prove she was a good trainer, not too keen on winning like she was her. This though, this was a silent war of wills between rivals, their spirits burning brightly as they fought to win.

"Blastoise, use hydro pump on Arcanine!"

"Fine, if you insist, razor leaf Venusaur!"

Blastoise used the last of his fading strength to push himself off the ground and pull out his canons. He shot off the strong torrent of water just as Venusaur launched his leaves once more. Arcanine was shaking the dirt from his fur and trotting back to Alex when the water crashed into his side, launching him across the field to crash to the ground before his trainer. He fainted the moment he landed, just as Dodrio had done not a minute before. The leaves reached Blastoise before he could withdraw into his shell, cutting into all skin exposed to their edges. He was fainted before he hit the ground, having no energy to continue the fight.

Both trainers stood silently for a moment, regarding one another silently. They had no idea why the fight had gone from mere fun to a sudden war of strength. Perhaps it was the fact they were rivals, and could rarely if ever sit down and actually talk civilly. They had a truce, true, but it did little to calm their competiveness. They could speak to one another, but normally speaking led to an argument, which led to a battle like this.

"We should go get the pokemon healed…good match."

Gary ignored the smile sent his way and returned Blastoise, frustrated that he was beaten despite his best attempts. Blastoise was at a type disadvantage, that was true, but he could bet his pokemon were of a higher level than hers. He blamed Alex; it had to be her fault he lost. Instead of being able to focus on the match he had been thinking of her the entire time. It had to somehow be her fault she was the only thing he could think of since the Silver Conference. Her smile, her voice, her laugh, her eyes, it frustrated him! It was her fault he lost this match, and every damn other match he lost, because he was thinking of her! He hated her, to the point where he never wanted to see her again. At the same time, he couldn't stop thinking about her, and the thought of never seeing her again upset him. What had he done? Why couldn't he get her out of his mind? What was wrong with him!?

"Gary?"

Alex stepped forward, wondering what was upsetting her rival so much. He was standing and glaring off into the woods, his whole body tensed and nostrils flaring. She had never seen him look so angry or frustrated in the time she knew him, and quite honestly it scared her. She reached his side and raised her hand cautiously, letting it fall onto his shoulder. A gasp burst from her throat as he slapped her hand away harshly, turning his glare on her.

"This is your fault! It's all your fault I lost, and that I keep losing! Just go away and leave me alone! I wish I never met you, you're nothing but trouble!"

Alex backed off slowly, her eyes burning as Gary continued to yell and glare. Why was he being so mean? What had she done to him? She had never done anything to him on purpose, never meant to hurt him. Then why was Gary being so mean to her?

"I HATE YOU!"

It was like someone had stabbed her in the heart. She felt her knees give out and fall to the ground, but was more concerned with what Gary said to her. Gary hated her? But why, she hadn't done anything, had she? The burning in her eyes got hotter, and she felt tears start to trickle down her cheeks, leaving trails of moisture in their wake. Behind her, her pokemon roared in anger, Venusaur stepping forward menacingly despite his weakened state. Eevee and Totodile rushed over to Alex, still growling at Gary, their eyes promising pain and misery should he not leave.

Gary panted heavily and turned away, heading to the pokemon center at the center of town. He had no idea what pain he had just caused, what he had just done to his usually spirited rival, but if he did, he probably wouldn't care. He was angry, frustrated, and confused, something that didn't sit well with a 12 year old. He would learn what he had done soon, and probably regret it, but right now he just couldn't be bothered to care. It was all Alex's fault; she was the cause for him loosing so much lately and he had just solved that. No more Alex meant no more loosing, who cares if he wouldn't find a rival quite like her again? In his mind, he had fixed the pressing situation. In his mind, all was right with the world again…well mostly. But this wasn't his mind, and he hadn't fixed the situation. All he had done was make everything worse, and he would come to realize that soon.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Alex's pokemon gathered around her and crooned softly, trying to cheer the now sobbing girl. Eevee had gone through her bag and found a revive for Arcanine, bringing him back to consciousness and filling him in on the situation. He seemed baffled that Gary had said that, and had been doubtful until Venusaur himself had confirmed it. Then he had gotten angry, and smoke came out of his nose as he snarled fiercely, brief bouts of fire puffing from his mouth in his rage. Soon though the rage had subsided, and he had crawled over to Alex and let her bury her face in his warm fur as she cried.

Their trainer was wounded, not in the sense of a physical injury, but one much worse. He heart was injured, battered and bleeding from the cruelty of her rival. She had feelings for this rival, which made the words so much more hurtful. Of course Gary had no idea of this, and probably never would now, if they had a say in it. She had cared for them in their time of need, so they would do the same. When she was all better, and no longer so upset, they would make the boy pay, and pay dearly for the pain he caused. Nobody caused misery to their trainer without the consequences, and they would make sure those consequences were dear for Gary Oak.


	17. Chapter 17

**Holy ****, I only took four months this time! Lmao, I really had about half the chapter done in the first week, but I am lazy (as we all know) so I didn't work on it much besides a few paragraphs at a time. The good news is that I got the last three pages done in one day because I got inspired to actually work at it. Anyway, I have a little bit of a poll for you guys, well two actually.**

**Number One: I have recently become a bit obsessed with Teddiursa, and I was wondering if Alex should get one (yes I am allowing you guys chose one of her pokemon.) If she does, I'm thinking I'll make him/her a rival for Eevee in mischief and cuteness.**

**Number Two: Should I do a chapter from Gary's point of view? It's been an idea in my head for a while, and if I do it, I think I'll make it the next chapter.**

**I'm also introducing a new OC (one of the last major ones, I promise) next chapter named Pillip, so don't be alarmed when he shows up. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter, I attempted to add in some humor, but I think I failed.**

* * *

Alex rubbed her fists into her eyes furiously, wiping away the small drops that lingered. Why was she crying over Gary Oak, the biggest jerk in history? Just because he cut off their friendship for no apparent reason and now hates her? That was no reason to cry. Crying over something like that would be like crying over a lost battle; things happen and life moves on. So what if she and Gary were no longer friends. He didn't dictate her life, and she was free to do what she wanted!

Arcanine helped her stand on her shaky legs, watching warily in case she fell. It was getting rather late in the evening, and if she didn't make it back soon it would be dark. Being in forest at night time wasn't advisable, even for experienced trainers. Many trainers had been injured for just that reason, and she really didn't feel like being one of them.

"C'mon guys, it's late."

She returned all her pokemon but Eevee, who jumped onto her shoulder as she began to walk. The small brown fox was cooing into her ear and rubbing against her cheek occasionally, perhaps attempting to comfort her. There was really no point, she was fine. She was a big girl, what other people said didn't hurt her. Now if only she could convince herself of that fact. Convincing others was easy, but it was hard to lie to yourself. She sighed mentally while frowning, the only outward sign of her displeasure.

"Eevee, vee?"

"I'm fine Eevee, just tired."

Eevee looked sceptically at her trainer, but accepted the pitiful excuse for now. Young humans were so strange when it came to emotions, and they reacted in the oddest of ways. Not to say she was any expert, she was pretty young herself. It was kinda sad though; she knew what was going on between the Oak boy and her trainer better than they did. Then again, a fellow Eevee had once explained that humans were pretty oblivious until they became teenagers, and even then they weren't the most astute beings. In all truth it took until they were in their thirties or so for humans to actually begin making responsible and intelligent decisions. Shaking her head, Eevee decided it was best if she just went with the flow of things.

Alex shuffled through the forest sulkily, unsure of herself for the first time in a few months. The last time had been when she was so soundly defeated in the Indigo Plateau Conference. That had been a trying time, despite being happy that she had gotten as far as she had. Sure, it was great that she made it to the third round, but couldn't she have done better? She had made sure her father wasn't aware of her ill ease, lest he attempt to do something. Being a Professor was trying enough without having to worry about his daughter's hurt ego. So she had thrown herself into training her pokemon, determined to make them stronger. The end result was all eight of them growing to be powerhouses in their own rights.

"Hey Eevee?"

'Vee?'

Eevee's ear perked slightly and she turned her head towards her trainer in interest. Alex was looking around with a level gaze, a slight frown on her face.

"Do you have any idea where we are?"

'VEE!'

She dug her claws into Alex's shirt in an attempt to avoid falling from her shoulder. Small heart hammering, she glared menacingly at the now sheepish trainer. How the hell the girl could get lost that easily, she had no idea.

"Hey chill, it's not like we're going to die out here or anything. This forest is supposedly pretty small, so we should be able to find our way out of it. Of course, there's also those warning signs at the edge that say 'Caution, aggressive wild pokemon!' to take into consideration..."

Eevee stared in absolute amazement at her now thoughtful trainer. With the sun sinking lower and lower in the sky and the temperature dropping at a steady rate, they were pretty much screwed if they didn't get out of here soon. Why had she gotten stuck with the ditzy trainer?

"Hmm...I think the town is this way, but I'm pretty sure we came from that direction."

A small growl rose from the brown fox, who slumped more securely against her trainer's neck as the now confused girl pointed in two directions. She tuned out the soft mutterings and stared at the forest around her, wondering what secrets the shadows hid. Even during the day it had been a rather shady place thanks to all the trees, and now that it was close to night the darkness was almost scary.

"Hang on I think I might have a map somewhere."

Eevee was suddenly dropped to the group with a soft 'thump', squealing in indignation at the less than perfect treatment. How rude. Grumbling to herself she shuffled over to a fern and sniffed lightly, taking in the waxy scent it gave off. Alex was digging through her bag, searching for the aforementioned map of the area. Suddenly the leaves before Eevee shook, and her large ears picked up the sound of panting from the opposite side of the large plant. Her joints locked and eyes bugged as the smell of smoke ran by her nose, overpowering the smell of the earth around her. Dark eyes glinted menacingly from within the bush, and her heart began to hammer in fear.

'VEEEEEEE!'

Alex grunted in shock as a small brown projectile slammed into her chest, knocking her onto her back. Eevee shook violently on her chest, wide eyes staring at a bush a few feet in front of them that was now shaking violently. Her mouth suddenly dry, Alex picked herself up from the ground and slowly reached for Arcanine's pokeball, just to be safe. A small black and orange head popped out from the bush, looking around slowly before its leith body followed.

The small canine pokemon walked right before the duo and sat down, his dark eyes focused on Alex's own. Eevee growled in a mix of warning and fear, hoping to intimidate the pokemon that was nearly twice her size. The pokemon merely regarded Eevee with a lazy stare, knowing that should it come to a fight it would most likely have the advantage. Alex moved her hand slowly and put it atop her pokemon's head, attempting to bring an end to her rash behaviour before the pokemon attacked. She wasn't a fool, she knew that the pokemon in front of them was a Houndour, a species that could be extremely vicious when provoked. Her day was turning out wonderful, wasn't it?

Houndour regarded the human before him quizzically, wondering how she had wandered so far into his territory. It wasn't uncommon for humans to pass through the edges on their way to the nearby town, but she was close to the center of his lands. Normally that would bother him, but he had witnessed the episode earlier between this girl and the other human. Obviously she was preoccupied, if her emotions were any indication. He found that every emotion had a distinct scent to it, and this girl reeked of hurt and frustration. The Eevee, however, should have been able to find its way out of the forest without any trouble. Judging by how spoiled it acted though, he could only guess that it hadn't spent a day of its life wild.

This was dangerous. She had heard stories of wild Houndour and Houndoom attacking people when they were in the forest. Most of the attacks went unprovoked. Some people had even been killed. To have a Houndour so close was unnerving, because she had no idea what it wanted. She watched cautiously as the pokemon seemed to come to a decision and climbed to its feet, approaching them with nearly silent steps. Her breath caught as he reached her bag and began to nose through, using his paw to hold it to the ground as he dug through with his mouth. A moment later he emerged, seemingly satisfied, when he suddenly grabbed the bag and began to run.

"Hey!"

It didn't matter that Houndour were dangerous, or that they were in the middle of the forest with no light to see by; nobody stole her things. Eevee squealed in fear as Alex suddenly took off running after the fire/dark pokemon, intent on retrieving her possessions. Houndour used his knowledge of the area to keep ahead of the now angry human, ducking under branches and around rocks as he raced through the forest. It was all Alex could do to keep up with the small pokemon, being as tired as she was from earlier. His sharp turns and sudden jumps were unnerving, and an uneasy feeling settled into her stomach. What if Houndour was tricking them and leading them back to its pack?

Houndour stopped briefly and glanced back, wondering if the girl was still following him. He could hear her running a little way's back, her feet thumping on the ground in an inexperienced manner. Quite honestly he felt bad for her, if she was going to be travelling through forests, she should at least know how to move quietly. As she fought her way through the underbrush into the clearing he had stopped in he snickered to himself, amused at her appearance. She had a few scratches on her arms and legs, twigs trapped in her hair, and mud splashed to almost her knees. The Eevee who had been on her shoulder looked affronted at its now tangled fur, and hissed as menacingly as possible when it caught sight of him.

Paying no heed to the small pokemon he shot off like a rocket, now sure that the girl would follow him. A frustrated groan came from a few feet back, and he was mildly surprised to hear her pick up the pace, all out sprinting to keep him in her sight. By now the sun had fallen and the sky had turned a dark navy blue, dotted with thousands of stars. The now rising moon was the only source of light to see by in the dense foliage, but he was more than used to such little light. The girl on the other hand was having trouble seeing, and if she wasn't careful she would end up tripping over a root or rock. While that would be amusing, it would only prove to take up more of his time, and he really didn't feel like wasting any more than he had to. He was nice for even taking the time to do this, and he had to say he was rather proud of himself.

Alex ignored the burning of her lungs as she chased after the rapidly fading pokemon. Chasing Arcanine down had been nowhere near this hard back when she had caught him. Then again, she had Primeape to help her back then, and she had caught up with the small canine rather quickly. This though? This little demon was fast, and she was getting tired to be truthful. She watched in annoyance as the Houndour jumped through a rather large bush, and pushed herself to move at a faster pace. A moment later she reached the large plant and dove through, seeing moonlight just beyond the other side.

"Ah-ha!"

Green eyes blinked slowly as she stared about her, wondering if what she saw was reality. Her bag sat before her, dropped onto the ground with its top still open. Some of its contents had spilled out, and lay innocently in the grass about it. Before her on the other side of a rather wide road, stood the entrance to the small town she was staying in. The pokemon center's lights glowed faintly in the distance, cheerfully beckoning tired travellers to its comforting haven.

'Vee?'

"I...have no idea."

Eevee sniffed the air curiously, searching for even a trace of the dog that had taken them on a wild hunt through the forest. Her nose caught scent of food, humans, plants, and other town oriented smells, but none of the mysterious canine. Her eyes darted from side to side suspiciously, keeping watch while her trainer gathered her scattered belongings and returned them to her bag.

"C'mon Eevee, let's just get to the pokemon center and rest. Today's been...tiring."

Eevee chirped in agreement and trotted after the walking girl, happy to finally be on their way to food. Today certainly had been eventful, and she didn't doubt her poor trainer wanted to sleep; hell she was tired and she had barely done anything. She squeaked in alarm as she realized her trainer was walking faster than she, and scurried as fast as her small legs would allow after her. Another advantage of being so small and furry: she had a damn hard time moving very fast. She couldn't wait until she evolved from this form into something else much more elegant and powerful. Then Alex could make good use of her abilities...well, better use than now that is.

-_-_-_-_-(awesome page breaker!)-_-_-_-_-

Alex sighed in contentment as she laid down on the bed in her room at the Poke Center. Maybe they weren't the most comfortable beds in the world but it sure as hell beat sleeping outside, even in a sleeping bag. On top of that she had a crappy day, so she deserved to be lazy! Eevee lay beside her, purring contentedly as she napped, her tail twitching every few minutes. For how hyperactive the small pokemon was, she could fall asleep pretty fast. Alex's lips curled into a small smile, and she stroked the warm bundle of fur gently, enjoying the silky feel of her fur. She knew poor Eevee wanted to evolve, but she wasn't sure what to evolve her into. Maybe she would call her dad and see what he thought, being a pokemon professor and all...

Another sigh worked its way up, and she sat up on the bed quickly. Thoughts of pokemon professors brought her mind to Professor Oak and because of that, to Gary. She wasn't sure what she thought of her 'rival' in light of recent events. Half of her was telling her to hate him, and the other half was begging to find out what was wrong. Help him or hate him, it was like a mental tug of war and she hated it. Should she hate him for being a jerk, or help him because for some reason she _still_ liked him. Personally she'd rather just forget him and get on with her life, but something was telling her it would be impossible. Maybe she would give her dad that call and see what he thought of everything. Parents always knew what to do, didn't they?

She rolled onto her side and pulled Eevee closer, allowing the fox to snuggle itself into her arms. Holding Eevee always made her feel better, like she was a security blanket or something. Her Pokemon loved her, wasn't that enough? Why did Gary Oak's opinion matter so much? Why did his thoughts about her have so much weight in what she did? Why was she even thinking about this? She had a lot to do tomorrow, and thinking about Gary when she was supposed to be sleeping...

"Night Eevee."

'Eevee, vee.'

The next day came much too fast in her opinion, but there wasn't much she could do. It wasn't like it was a bad day, per say, she just felt like being lazy. Eevee on the other hand seemed eager to get the day started, and proceeded to jump up and down in front of the door barking.

'Eevee! Eevee! Eevee! Eevee!'

"Shut up!"

A pillow flew from the bed and slammed into the small fox, sending her sprawling. A dull squeak came from under the projectile, and Eevee crawled out slowly. She swayed from side to side occasionally, a little loopy from her sudden assault. Alex groaned and climbed out of her bed, a scowl on her face. There was no point in attempting to sleep after that, because once Eevee regained her ability to think straight she would want revenge. Sleeping near a vengeful Eevee was never a good idea, she learned from experience. She never had the stomach for maple syrup after that, it brought back memories she would rather forget.

'Vee...ee?'

Eevee looked blankly up at her trainer, still not able to completely control her movements. She watched as her trainer walked into the bathroom and shut the door, having the sense to lock it after. At least she had self preservation skills. Or maybe she didn't want her shower turning ice cold right in the middle? Either way her plans were now foiled, so she turned tail and walked over to her trainer's bag. It still smelled of smoke from that damned Houndour last night, and she could faintly make out spots where he had drooled on it. Disgusting mutts they were; nothing like the dignified Eevee and their evolutions. Her nose crinkled in slightly in disgust as she dug through the top, too close to the dried spit for comfort. It was breakfast time, and she'd be damned if she had to wait for her trainer to finish grooming herself. Hell, if she could dispose of the evidence she just might get fed twice.

It was a hard task, but she found the little shiny pouch that contained the food. Unfortunately she had to literally dig it out of the bag, and many of the newly returned objects were on the floor once more. She would have to clean them up before Alex came back out, or there would be trouble. That could wait for later though, because she had obtained her prize and she was hungry. One major drawback of these shiny packets was that they were hard to get open. Even with her needle like teeth she was having difficulty, and that was saying something. Being a master of pranks and mischief required great skill, but a wrapper could thwart her? Apparently she was losing her touch...she would just have to practice on Totodile. Speaking of which, he had nice teeth, maybe he could open this for her.

Eevee hopped onto the bedside table and pawed at Alex's belt, searching for the small button that would release her fellow pokemon. The three pokeballs were lined up next to one another neatly, and she paused as she realized something important. She had no idea which one was Totodile's, and releasing the wrong one would be...consequential. Venusaur would be angry for being bothered, and Arcanine would waste no time telling on her. Then again, Totodile was quite the tattle tale as well, so she would most likely get ratted out either way. Moment of faith then; depending on which pokeball she chose she would most likely end up in trouble. Knowing the consequences, she reached out and slapped the button for the far right ball, releasing her team member within.

'Saur?'

Eevee flinched as the green giant turned his head curiously, examining the room about him. Due to his size he had very little room to move, and he seemed to realize this fact with great irritation. He flinched slightly as a small crunch came from under his foot. His crimson eyes widened as he saw the disaster on the floor and he growled menacingly, knowing very well who would have made such a mess. He turned his attention to the table and was not all that surprised to see Eevee staring back innocently, trying to kick the belt behind her small form.

'Venu!'

'Ee! Vee vee!'

Venusaur shook his head in disbelief, and growled lowly when it smacked into the bed. Such a small space was not cut out for the large dinosaur, and he was getting pissed. If only Alex was out here, she would put the damned fox in her place. Despite his anger he had more pressing matters to attend to, and he turned his attention to the spilled bag. If Alex came out and saw her things everywhere she would be upset, especially after last night. If there was one thing he could not bear, it was his trainer upset. An upset Alex made him mad, because in his honest opinion he saw it as his duty to keep her happy and safe. He was her first pokemon and thus he was responsible for her as much as she was for him. Being a trainer was not just levelling up your pokemon and battling, but forming a bond with your pokemon and working as partners. Thus he would be a good partner and clean her things up for her.

Eevee watched in muted horror as Venusaur began cleaning the floor up, starting with her thieved food packet. His vines swept the various items into a pile before picking the entire pile up and dropping it into Alex's bag. Poor Alex would have some difficulty finding her things after this, considering she liked to keep things organized. The inside of her bag resembled a battle ground more than anything at this point. She'd be mad when she sorted it out. The door to the bathroom opened and Alex came shuffling out muttering to herself. Eevee watched in mild disbelief as her trainer tripped over the large pokemon before her and landed on his head, earning a grunt of irritation.

"Uh, hi Venusaur...what the hell are you doing in here?"

How the hell had she tripped over something to obvious? Eevee shook her head sadly, not very surprised that her trainer wasn't paying attention. Alex either had the worst observation skills ever, or she was the world's biggest klutz. It was kind of sad honestly. Alex cleared her throat and climbed off her poor pokemon. He resumed scooping her things into her bag quickly, hoping to get the last of it in before she noticed. Unfortunately she was watching intently as he zipped the bag back up, a small tick mark on her forehead.

"Venusaur?"

'Venu?'

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY STUFF!"

'Saur!'

Eevee grumbled to herself as Alex stomped down the hall, her small body crushed to her trainer's chest as the girl ranted.

"How many times have I told you not to touch my bag Eevee! I mean really, you can't just go taking things, because I'll think I still have them when I don't! What if I needed that food while we were between towns, and I open my bag to find out: whoops, Eevee was being a Snorlax and ate it!"

Stupid tattle tale dinosaur, whining about her to get out of trouble. Of course Alex would believe him over her, Venusaur 'never lied' and was always 'so nice'. If only her trainer knew how devious that damned overgrown weed could be. He sets her up for trouble all the time and acts like some perfectly innocent by standard. It was a conspiracy! Just because she caused trouble _sometimes_ her trainer goes and doesn't even give her the benefit of the doubt. 'It was all Eevee, I swear!' Yeah, of course it was all Eevee it was _always_ all Eevee. Who cared that most of the time they were right, she was cute and fluffy damnit, girls were supposed to be brainwashed by cute and fluffy! How the hell was she supposed to get anywhere in this world if everyone was against her!

Alex watched as Eevee's eyes reflected various emotions, going from anger to annoyance to contempt and then back to anger. The small fox chirped angrily and threw her head back against her shoulder to look up at her, small tears pricking in her eyes.

"Stop being a drama queen."

The tears disappeared and Eevee stared at her trainer with wide eyes, her small mouth hanging open. An indignant squeak came from the ball of fur, and she jumped from her trainer's arms to stomp ahead as fast as her small legs could carry her. It wasn't very fast, but she was moving faster than her trainer at the moment. A small, but satisfying victory.

The duo reached the lobby of the Pokemon Center, and Alex turned off to head to the video phones. Eevee followed behind, not because she was curious, but because she was hungry and her trainer still hadn't fed her. Maybe if she sat by quietly then she would finally be fed and start plotting her revenge against the green one. She hopped up onto the desk below the phone and titled her head back to watch whom her trainer was calling. Soon the screen lit up and the face of The Large One, also known as Dad to Alex, appeared.

"Alex! What's up?"

Alex smiled cheerfully at her father, ignoring the glaring fox just below her.

"Nothing Dad, I actually have some questions for you."

Professor Birch held up a finger and yelled at something off screen for a moment. Alex winced as a large crash followed, and Professor Birch groaned.

"Wait a moment, will you hun?"

He didn't wait for a reply before he dropped the phone, and disappeared from her line of sight. She could make out yelling in the background, followed by more crashes and the sound of glass breaking. Her dad gave an annoyed scream, and she winced once more as a faint 'no, not my damn files!' followed. It was like listening to a live feed of a disaster, just more amusing. Suddenly the screen was occupied by two faces, one a furry tan and another seemingly carved from rock. Primeape and Rhydon cheerfully greeted their trainer, matching grins on their faces.

"Hey guys!"

Primeape started to jump up and down, swinging her arms about her happily. Her hand smacked into a small beaker and knocked it to the floor, brining both pokemon's attention to the spilled liquid. Professor Birch pushed his way past Rhydon, practically crying as he saw the mess.

"Alex, please take these two for a while, they're destroying my lab in boredom!"

Alex frowned slightly, surprised with her father's begging. Normally those two were well behaved, but apparently they were getting restless in the lab.

"Uh, sure dad."

The professor punched the air and whooped in victory before. Both pokemon stared at him oddly, and even Eevee sat up on her hind legs to stare at her father. Despite the looks he rushed off screen, a happy grin on his face. He returned a moment later with two pokeballs and returned the dastardly duo before sending them over one at a time to his now amused daughter. She clipped the pokeballs onto her belt and turned back to the screen, her father waiting patiently for her attention.

"So what was it that was bothering you sweety?"

Alex grabbed the remaining pokemon and held her up, ignoring the indignant squeaks and squirming.

"Well Dad, I was hoping to evolve Eevee soon and was wondering what you thought."

Professor Birch considered the small pokemon with wide eyes before turning back to his daughter, a single eyebrow slowly rising.

"You want to evolve Eevee? You do realize that would mean she could cause even _more_ trouble, right?"

Eevee stopped squirming and gave the Professor her entire attention, the usual gleam of mischief in her eyes. Alex gave her father a dull look, impatient to hear his input. Professor Birch saw the look and groaned low, knowing he was signing his own death warrant as he decided to explain the options set before the pair.


	18. Author's Note

Hey everyone! For those of you who've been waiting for the story to be updated, I have good news – I'm back to working on it. It might take a bit of time in light of how long I've been away (I need to get my train of thoughts back on it and probably reread everything I've written so far…) but I'm confident I can get a new chapter out soon. I'm not going to make excuses for why I've been away, because the reasons are personal. What I will tell you, though, is that since summer's started I think I might be able to at least get Alex half way through Jhoto, if not all the way… this should be interesting.


End file.
